Approvals and Workflow Setup

SelectSite / HigherMarkets 

Approvals and Workflow Setup 

Handbook

SELECTSITE / HIGHERMARKETS 

A P P R O V A L S A N D W O R K F L O W S E T U P H A N D B O O K 

M A R C H 2 0 1 2 

P R O D U C T V E R S I O N : S E L E C T S I T E 1 2 . 1 

H A N D B O O K V E R S I O N : A W 1 2 . 1 . 0 1 

P R E P A R E D B Y 

C O N T A C T U S : 

S C I Q U E S T , I N C . 

6 5 0 1 W E S T O N P A R K W A Y , S U I T E 2 0 0 

C A R Y , N C 2 7 5 1 3 

T O L L - F R E E : ( 8 7 7 ) 7 1 0 - 0 4 1 3 

P H O N E : ( 9 1 9 ) 6 5 9 - 2 1 0 0 

F A X : ( 9 1 9 ) 6 5 9 - 2 1 9 9 

S C I Q U E S T S U P P O R T : S U P P O R T @ S C I Q U E S T . C O M O R ( 9 1 9 ) 6 5 9 - 4 2 0 0 

O R ( 8 0 0 ) 2 3 3 - 1 1 2 1 

Confidential Document 

This document is confidential and its contents are considered proprietary to the interests of SciQuest, Inc. All parties using this 

document are subject to the Freedom of Information Act, and are required to comply with requests to share this document. 

All contents Copyright © 2012, SciQuest, Inc. All rights reserved. SciQuest, Inc owns the copyright for this document. 

No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including 

photocopying, for any purpose, without the express written permission of SciQuest, Inc. 

SelectSite® and SciQuest® are registered trademarks of SciQuest, Inc. 

All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders 

SciQuest, Inc. 

www.SciQuest.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

W E L C O M E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 

Objectives ................................................................................................................................ 1 

Key Points ................................................................................................................................ 1 

Understanding the Format ......................................................................................................... 1 

What you will learn… ................................................................................................................. 2 

T H E B A S I C S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 

Lesson 1: Workflow And Approval Basics ..................................................................... 3 

Key Concepts ..................................................................................................................... 3 

Workflow .................................................................................................................................. 3 

Behind the Scenes: SciQuest Setup ............................................................................................ 4 

Sample Workflow Process .......................................................................................................... 5 

Workflow Triggers and Workflow Steps ...................................................................................... 6 

Key Terms related to Workflow .................................................................................................. 7 

Permissions related to workflow and approvals ........................................................................... 8 

Super User ............................................................................................................................. 14 

Implicit Approval ..................................................................................................................... 14 

Administrative Option: Prevent Same User from Entering/Approving a PR ................................... 16 

Administrative Option: Enabling Email Reminders ...................................................................... 16 

Lesson 2: Types of Workflow Approval ........................................................................ 17 

Workflow Approval Types ........................................................................................................ 17 

Financial Approval ................................................................................................................... 17 

Dynamic Custom Field Approval ............................................................................................... 17 

Dynamic Form Approval ........................................................................................................... 19 

Dynamic Departmental Approval .............................................................................................. 19 

Dynamic Approval by Contract Type ......................................................................................... 20 

Static Workflow Steps .............................................................................................................. 20 

Advanced Dynamic Workflow ................................................................................................... 21 

Exercises ......................................................................................................................... 22 

Setting up Financial Approvals ................................................................................................. 22 

Creating Rules for Dynamic Approvals ...................................................................................... 23 

Assigning Approvers to Custom Field Values ............................................................................. 24 

SciQuest, Inc. i www.SciQuest.com

Importing and Exporting Custom Field Values and Approvers ..................................................... 24 

Assigning Approvers to Form Types .......................................................................................... 26 

Assigning Approvers to Departments ........................................................................................ 26 

Assigning Approvers to Shared Workflow Folders ...................................................................... 27 

Lesson 3: Performing Approval Tasks ......................................................................... 29 

Key Concepts ................................................................................................................... 29 

Approver ................................................................................................................................ 29 

Approval Basics ....................................................................................................................... 29 

The Approvals Screens ............................................................................................................ 30 

Returning Requisitions from a Third-Party System ..................................................................... 32 

Automatic Approval of an Approver’s Order .............................................................................. 32 

Approval Notifications via Email................................................................................................ 33 

Email Approvals: How it Works ................................................................................................ 37 

Information Included in Emails with Order Data ........................................................................ 37 

Email Approvals: Setup and Configuration ................................................................................ 38 

Exercises ......................................................................................................................... 40 

Moving Documents (PR/PO/Invoice) to My Approvals Folder ...................................................... 40 

Reviewing a Workflow Document ............................................................................................. 41 

Approving a Workflow Document ............................................................................................. 42 

Rejecting a Workflow Document .............................................................................................. 42 

Approving and Rejecting a PR or PO from an Email ................................................................... 43 

Forwarding a Workflow Document............................................................................................ 43 

Assigning a Substitute Approver ............................................................................................... 44 

Expediting an Order ................................................................................................................ 45 

Adding a Comment to a PR, PO, or Invoice ............................................................................... 45 

Returning a Requisition to the Requisitioner .............................................................................. 46 

View Approvers for Workflow Documents ................................................................................. 48 

Lesson 4: Using History to Review Approvals ............................................................. 49 

Key Concepts ................................................................................................................... 49 

History Searching .................................................................................................................... 49 

Workflow Approver Outbox ...................................................................................................... 49 

Exercises ......................................................................................................................... 50 

Reviewing Order History by Department ................................................................................... 50 

Reviewing Organization – Wide Order History ........................................................................... 51 

Reviewing Order History for Another User ................................................................................. 51 

SciQuest, Inc. ii www.SciQuest.com

Using Requisition and Purchase Order Outbox........................................................................... 52 

SciQuest, Inc. iii www.SciQuest.com

WELCOME 

O B J E C T I V E S 

The purpose of this handbook is to provide a comprehensive look at workflow setup and usage in the SelectSite/ 

HigherMarkets application. We hope it will help you: 

• Understand how the approval and workflow process is represented in SelectSite 

• Understand the different types of workflow available and how they are used 

• Perform tasks associated with order approval – approving, rejecting, forwarding, etc. 

K E Y P O I N T S 

• This handbook is designed to be used by Approvers and System Administrators. It is important to note that 

much of the how, when, and why the system is used is determined by your organization’s business practices. We 

suggest that you supplement this document with your organization’s business practices, goals, and policies. 

• The term SelectSite is used to describe the application in this handbook. For Higher Education customers, this 

term represents your HigherMarkets application. HigherMarkets and SelectSite can be used interchangeably 

from a product feature perspective. 

U N D E R S T A N D I N G T H E F O R M A T 

A Lesson is created for each of the main aspects of workflow and approvals in SelectSite. Within each lesson, there 

are three sections: 

1. An overview of the goals and functions in the lesson. 

2. Background and conceptual information about the lesson. The concepts will help you better understand why and 

when you perform tasks in the system and how they relate to other parts of the system. 

3. Step-by-step exercises detailing specific tasks in the system. Each exercise provides background information 

about the task, details about the typical user, step-by-step instructions, and in many cases, a results screen to 

compare your work. 

SciQuest, Inc. 1 www.SciQuest.com

W H A T Y O U W I L L L E A R N … 

The document is organized according to the topics related to Workflow and Approvals: 

• Workflow and Approval Basics – provides an overview of the workflow and approval process in SelectSite. 

• Types of Workflow Approval- provides an in-depth look at the different types of workflow available with 

SelectSite, along with the setup tasks for your system administrator(s). 

• Performing Approval Tasks – instructions for each of the tasks related to reviewing purchase requisitions and 

orders including approving, rejecting, forwarding, expediting, and more. 

• Using History to Review Approvals- using PO, PR, and Sales Order History to track orders sent out by 

individuals in your department or in your organization. 


THE BASICS 

Lesson 1: 

B ASICS 

WORKFLOW AND APPROV AL 

The approval process is a key component of both an organization’s overall purchasing program and any E- 

procurement application used to manage and assist this program. SelectSite provides a flexible and easy-to-use 

automated approval process that is referred to in the system as workflow. 

Workflow is very unique in its rules, structure, and purpose for each organization. This lesson is designed to give an 

overview of its capabilities in SelectSite. A few key points: 

• Workflow is only available with the Requisition Manager, Order Manager, Supplies Manager, and Settlement 

Manager Modules. For more information on how workflow is used when working with supplies management or 

invoices, please refer to the Supplies Manager and Settlement Manager Handbooks. 

• SciQuest Client Services or Support team is responsible for setting up the workflow rules based on the business 

practices outlined by each organization. 

• SelectSite Administrators can manage many parts of the workflow process, including determining dynamic 

workflow values and approvers and assigning approvers to specific workflow steps. 

• Users with permissions to review purchase requisitions and/or purchase orders are referred to as Approvers. 

Most organizations have a large number of approvers – typically one or more by department or division. 

• To learn about Cart Assignment, please refer to the Requisitioner Handbook. 

Key Concepts 

W O R K F L O W 

The workflow process begins when a cart is submitted in SelectSite and continues through when the purchase order 

is sent out to the supplier. The two major phases of workflow are Purchase Requisition workflow and Purchase Order 

workflow. The design of an organization’s workflow varies from simple to complex depending on the business needs 

and purchasing practices. 

The goal of workflow is to make sure that all orders sent out are valid. For example, workflow may involve financial 

approvals. In other cases, it may verify that the certain types of items (such as radioactive or other hazardous items) 

are not ordered through the system. Certain organizations require the purchasing department to approve all orders 

sent out, while other organizations may have departmental-approval only or special handling based on line item or 

header amounts. 

Other key points about workflow: 

• Workflow is a generic term. Depending on how an organization is using SelectSite and what modules are 

implemented, NONE, ALL, or SOME of an organization’s workflow may be accomplished through SelectSite. For 

example, no workflow is captured for Spend Director-only clients. 

• Workflow steps are either manual or automatic. Examples of automatic step include a workflow where the 

user’s budget is checked in an external system or a workflow where the requisition is routed to the appropriate 

person based on the price of the total order. An example of a manual step includes a workflow where a 

department head or someone in the purchasing department must approve the order before it is sent out to the 

supplier. 

• In SelectSite, approvals are handled at the requisition level. For example, at Company ABC, all items over $500 

require approval from a VP. A user creates a requisition with two items – one for $700 and one for $19. The 

entire requisition will route to the VP for approval. 

• Line items are rejected and approved independently. 


• Workflow is available to manage purchase order revisions (change orders) or supplier resends. 

• The steps in PR and PO workflow are typically quite different and serve a different purpose. For example, the 

steps in PR approval may involve departmental approval and special approvals such as Grants approvals, EH&S 

approvals, etc… The PO approval steps may all be automated where the PO is created by the system and sent 

out to the supplier – OR – a step can be added for final Purchasing approval for orders above a certain amount. 

• PR workflow must complete before a PO is created. 

• Just because a PO is created, this does NOT indicate the order has been sent out or the approval process is 

complete. 

Sample View of Workflow 

The graphic below shows an example of the steps in purchase requisition workflow for an order. The steps in 

workflow vary based on the item(s) ordered, order amount, and organization needs. Prior to the document becoming 

a PO, it was a Purchase Requisition and went through a similar experience. 

In the example below, the requisition is still pending (i.e. – not completed). The current/active step is indicated. 

Additionally, you can click the view approvers link to see who is responsible for approving the order, and send them 

an email if desired. 

B E H I N D T H E S C E N E S : S C I Q U E S T S E T U P 

The steps in a workflow process can vary based not only on organization, but user, custom field values, dollar 

amounts, and more. 

Workflow setup is rule-based, and SciQuest Professional Services works with customers to design these rules during 

the implementation process. Post implementation changes that cannot be accomplished through the SelectSite 

interface are performed by the SciQuest Support Team. 


S A M P L E W O R K F L O W P R O C E S S 

The graphic below shows an example of the overall purchasing process using SelectSite, including workflow 

approvals. 

YES 

NO NO NO 

NO NO 


W O R K F L O W T R I G G E R S A N D W O R K F L O W S T E P S 

Rules are events or “things” that trigger a step in the workflow process. For example: 

• A specific commodity used in a line item can trigger an approval 

• A total requisition amount can trigger an approval step 

• Ordering from a specific supplier can trigger an approval step 

• A value for a custom field can trigger an approval step 

• Using a specific form can trigger an approval step 

• A user’s spending limits can cause a requisition to auto-reject 

• Whether or not a contract is used in the requisition 

• Ordering a potentially hazardous may trigger a notification to the your organization’s EH&S department 

Workflow steps can be viewed in the system by opening a purchase requisition or purchase order and looking at the 

Approvals tab. Each box represents a step and each step is triggered by some type of activity. The graphic below 

shows two automated steps. 

Types of Workflow Steps: 

• Manual Approval Step – This type of workflow step requires human intervention in order for the step to be 

completed. One or more approvers must review the order and choose to approve or reject the line items, then 

complete the step. From a functional standpoint, a manual approval step represents the different types of 

approvals that may have previously required paper signatures or approvals in a different software system. 

• Automated Approval and Rejection – This type of step evaluates a certain set of criteria and the system 

determines whether or not the order should be approved or rejected. This step requires no human intervention. 

For example, an automated step may look to see if the user’s P-Card limit has been exceeded and if so, the 

order is auto-reject. 

• Automated (System) Step – This type of step performs a certain action in the system and requires no human 

intervention. This type of workflow step is not evaluating criteria for approving or rejecting the order, but instead 

is moving the order along in the process. Some examples include PO Distribution, PO Export, PR Create, and 

more. 

• Notifications – This type of workflow step evaluates certain criteria and sends a notification to the users that 

may be interested in the information. For example, an organization may not require its Environmental Health and 

Safety team to approve hazardous orders, but want them to “know” about these orders, so a notification is sent. 

The user can view the information, but they are not required to approve or reject the order before it moves to the 

next step in the process. Another example is that system administrators receive notifications when an error 

occurs with connectivity between SelectSite and Banner (an ERP system). 

Rules can be written requiring manual approvals, automated approvals, automated rejections, and notifications (no 

approval required.) Any workflow step can be set up to enforce financial approval limits and route requisitions/POs 

up the approval chain until an approver with the appropriate financial approval limits approves the document. 


K E Y T E R M S R E L A T E D T O W O R K F L O W 

Below are some definitions related to workflow setup and design. 

• Workflow Documents – This term is used to describe purchase requisitions and/or purchase orders in the 

approval process. 

• Workflow Folders – Workflow folders represent a step in the workflow process and may be referred to as 

workflow queues. When a requisition or workflow arrives at a step, the individual(s) assigned to the workflow 

folder are notified. Workflow folders are shared, meaning that more than one user can be assigned as an 

approver in a step. Shared workflow folders are each labeled on the approvals screen in the case that a user is 

assigned to more than one folder. 

• My Approvals – There are two workflow folders that are user-specific: My PR Approvals and My PO Approvals. 

The contents of these folders vary with each user and indicate that the requisitions and/or orders in this queue 

require the specific user’s attention. A user must move a workflow document from a shared folder to their folder 

before it can be approved or rejected. Workflow documents can also arrive in the “My Approvals” folder 

automatically from dynamic workflow triggers or financial approvals. 

• Static Workflow Rules – These are rules that do not change. For example, “If my requisition limits are 

exceeded, send the requisition to my supervisor.” SciQuest manages this type of workflow rule. However, the 

organization manages limits and assigned approvers through the interface. 

• Dynamic Workflow Rules – These are rules that are triggered based on the assignment of an approver(s) to a 

custom field value, form type, or department value. For custom field values with one or more approvers 

assigned, workflow is triggered if a PR/PO contains this value. For example, “Cost Center” has a value of “100- 

10,” and an approver is assigned to this value. If a user assigns this value to a line item in their requisition, the 

dynamic rule is triggered, and the PR is routed to the appropriate dynamic workflow folder. Organization 

administrators with appropriate privileges manage dynamic workflow, e.g., which custom field values trigger 

workflow and which approvers are assigned to each custom field value. 

• PR/PO Requisition Limits – Financial limits can be assigned by role or by individual for both requisitions and 

purchase orders (line item or total document). If a requisition limit is exceeded, workflow can be triggered. After 

the initially set up by SciQuest the financial limits and financial approver assignments are managed by 

administrators or end users. 

• LPO Limits – These are additional line item or requisition/PO total limits that can be set by role or user to trigger 

additional financial approvals. A typical use for LPO limits is to route capital equipment purchases, e.g., line 

items > $100,000 to a specific shared folder for review by the appropriate Buyer. SciQuest sets up this type of 

workflow. After the initially set up by SciQuest the financial limits and financial approver assignments are 

managed by administrators or end users. 

• Approval Limits – Approval limits can be set at both the line item and document total levels for requisitions and 

POs. These limits indicate the authority level approvers have for approving requisitions and POs. If the limits 

are exceeded, the requisition or order is automatically routed up the approval chain until an approver with the 

appropriate authority approves the requisition/PO. SciQuest sets up this type of workflow. After the initially set 

up by SciQuest the financial limits and financial approver assignments are managed by administrators or end 

users. 


P E R M I S S I O N S R E L A T E D T O W O R K F L O W A N D A P P R O V A L S 

Listed below are the permissions in SelectSite related to the approval and workflow process for Purchase Requisition, 

Purchase orders, and Sales Orders. These permissions allow approvers to perform a variety of functions ranging 

from reviewing (approving/rejecting) orders to expediting approvals and restarting workflow. 

The graphic below provides a list of permissions, a description of the permission, and who the permission is typically 

assigned to. 

Tab/Section of 

Profile 

Permission Name Permission Description Typically Assigned to… 

Shopping/Cart 

Cart/Requisition 

Edit PO Number 

Manually Override Pricing 

Provides the user with the ability to 

change/add the PO number to a 

requisition. This may be used to add 

a specific PO number to a 

requisition before it is distributed to 

the supplier. 

This permission allows users to 

manually change pricing for hosted 

catalog items. Changes can be 

made in draft shopping carts as well 

as pending PRs and POs. The user 

must also have the Edit Pending 

PR/POs permissions to change 

pricing for pending documents. 

Very few individuals at 

an organization – 

typically one or two 

system administrators. 

System Administrators 

Purchasing Buyers 

Orders 

My Orders/ 

Organization 

Orders 

View Organization Orders 

Edit Organization Orders 

Provides the ability for a user to 

view all of the organization's orders 

through the order history link. 

Provides the ability for a user to edit 

and update any organization orders. 



High-Level positions at 

an organization (VPs, 

Chairs, etc) 



Export Search Results 

Search History by 

Approver 

This permission provides the ability 

to export information from the 

following sections: PR, PO, 

Receipts, Invoices, and Fulfillment 

POs. Once the export request is 

made, the user will have access to 

the Search Exports screen (located 

on the History tab) to view their own 

exports. 

This permission allows end users to 

search for their orders by specific 

approvers – in other words by the 

All Approvers – system 

administrators, 

departmental approvers, 

purchasing approvers, 

etc. Why? You can only 

export what information 

you have access to. 

All approvers AND all 

end users. This is not 

required, but is 



Profile 


Revise Purchase Order 

Number 

people that approved/rejected their 

orders. Users with department 

access can search by approver and 

all the orders that the user has 

approved within that department 

display. Users with organizationwide 

history permissions can view 

all the orders the selected approver 

has reviewed. 

When this permission is granted, an 

additional filter (By Approver) is 

provided in the PR and PO History 

screens. 

This is a high-level permission and 

should only be granted to a select 

few individuals at your organization. 

This permission allows a user to 

modify the system-generated 

purchase order number. An example 

of when this is done is if your 

organization’s financial system is 

down and you need to go in and 

update the number once the “real” 

number is available. 

recommended because 

the user can only see 

their orders 


and perhaps one or two 

more individuals at an 

organization 

Super User privilege 

Orders/ 

Sales Order 

Fulfillment 

Forward Sales Orders 

Fulfill Sales Orders 

Assign Substitute 

Approver for Sales Order 

Approvals 

Approve/Reject Sales 

Orders on behalf of 

another Approver 

This permission allows users to 

forward a sales order to another 

user that is allowed to fill sales 

orders. This permission is typically 

granted to stockroom personnel 

using Supplies Manager or 

individuals receiving orders initially 

for third-party suppliers. 

This permission should be granted 

to any user that is responsible for 

viewing and filling sales orders. 


assign a substitute for sales order 

approval folders. This permission 

displays the Assign Substitute 

buttons on the sales order fulfillment 

approvals list page. 

Provides the ability to approve or 

reject sales orders for another user. 

This is a very powerful permission 

and should be assigned with 

caution. This permission allows a 

user to open POs that are assigned 

to another user and continue them 

in the process. The “change of 

All or Most Approvers 

Stockroom Personnel 

Supplier Employees 

filling orders 

Stockroom Personnel 

Supplier Employees 

filling orders 

Stockroom Manager 

System Administrator 



Profile 


hands” is tracked in History. This 

permission does not allow a user to 

view another user’s folders. You 

must have the permission below 

(Manage Other Approver’s SO 

Approval folders) to perform this 

task. 

Manage Other Approver’s 

SO Approval folders 

Provides the ability to access and 

view another user’s Sales Order 

approval folders. With this 

permission, you can view another 

approver’s workload and assign 

sales orders to different approvers. 


System Administrator 

To be able to approve or reject the 

orders that you are reviewing, you 

must also have the permission listed 

above (Approve/Reject Sales 

Orders on behalf of another person). 

Edit Any Pending Sales 

Orders 

This permission allows you to edit 

the addresses and custom fields for 

a sales order. This permission does 

not allow you to edit allocations for 

an order 


Approvals/ 

Requisition 


Edit Pending Requisitions 

Provides the ability to edit and 

update any pending requisitions 

within the approver's folders. 

Standard Approvers 

Edit Any Pending 

Requisitions 

Provides the ability to edit any 

pending requisition regardless of 

whether it is assigned to you or not. 




organization 



Requisition Approval 

folders 


view another user’s Requisition 

approval folders. With this 

permission, you can view another 

approver’s workload and assign 

requisitions to a different approver. 




organization 




must also have the Approve/Reject 

Requisition on behalf of person 

permission. 

Approve/Reject 

Requisitions 


reject requisitions within an 

approver's folders. 


Approve/Reject 

Requisitions on behalf of 

another Approver 


reject requisitions for another user. 







organization 



Profile 


Expedite requisition 

through all workflow steps 

Forward Requisitions 

Order Consolidation 

Put Requisitions On Hold 

Expedite Requisitions 


Approver for Purchase 

Requisition Approvals 

Add Products to 

Consolidated Cart 

user to open requisitions that are 

assigned to another user and 

continue them in the process. The 

“change of hands” is tracked in 

History. This permission does not 

allow a user to view another user’s 

folders. You must have the Manage 

Other Approver’s Requisition 

Approval folders permission to 

perform this task. 

Use of this permission is highly 

cautioned. This permission allows a 

user to bypass all steps in PR 

workflow, regardless of whether they 

are assigned as an approver in that 

step. This step should mainly be 

used for testing purposes and 

should only be assigned to a select 

few individuals at each organization. 

Allows an approver to forward a 

requisition to another approver. This 

permission displays the Forward 

button on the PR approvals page. 

Provides the ability to create and 

submit consolidated carts. Items can 

only be consolidated from a 

requisition if the requisition is in 

pending status within the Order 

Consolidation workflow folder. This 

permission is only available with PR 

workflow. 

Allows an approver to put a 

requisition on hold. A requisition that 

is on hold will remain in that 

approver's PR approvals folder. This 

permission displays the Hold option 

in the PR approvals Action lists. 


Expedite a requisition through the 

PR approval process. A user with 

this permission can "pull" a 

requisition through any pending PR 

workflow steps (that permit 

expediting). 


assign a substitute for requisition 

approval folders. This permission 

Allows the Assign Substitute buttons 

to display on the PR approvals list 

page. 

Allows the user to add products to a 

draft order consolidation shopping 





organization 



This is only applicable if 

your organization 

consolidates orders. 

Purchasing Buyers – 

typically only a few 

individuals at an 

organization are 

assigned this permission. 

Purchasing Buyers. 

Some organizations 

allow standard approvers 

to hold requisitions also. 




organization 



This is only applicable if 

your organization 



Profile 


cart (Order Consolidation is part of 

requisition workflow only). 

consolidates orders. 

Purchasing Buyers – 

typically only a few 

individuals at an 

organization are 

assigned this permission. 

Add Lines to Pending 

Requisitions 

Provides the ability to add a new line 

to any pending requisitions within an 

approver's personal PR approvals 

folder. Approvers with this 

permission will have the Add to 

Other Cart/PR/PO action on the 

Search Results page. 

System Administrators, 

Purchasing Buyers, and 

in most cases, Standard 

Approvers. 

Restart/Skip Requisition 

Workflow Steps in Error 

Provides the ability to restart 

workflow for any pending 

requisitions within an approver's 

personal PR approvals folder. This 

is typically necessary with workflow 

that triggers or receives integration 

messages. If an acknowledgement 

message is not received in the 

allotted time or after the defined 

number of retries, the step goes in 

to error status. This functionality 

allows and admin to restart the step, 

i.e., resend the message. 




organization 


Approvals/ 

Purchase Order 


Edit Pending Purchase 

Orders 

Provides the ability to edit and 

update any pending purchase 

orders within the approver's folders. 

In most cases, System 

Administrators and 

Purchasing Buyers, but 

occasionally other types 

of approvals occur at the 

PO stage. 

Edit Any Pending 

Requisitions 

Provides the ability to edit any 

pending purchase order regardless 

of whether it is assigned to you or 

not. 




organization 


Approve/Reject Purchase 

Orders 


reject purchase orders within an 

approver's folders. 






PO stage. 

Forward Purchase Orders 

Allows an approver to forward a 

purchase order to another approver. 

This permission displays the 

Forward option in the approvals 

Action lists. 






PO stage. 

Put Purchase Orders On 

Hold 

Allows an approver to put a 

purchase order on hold. A PO that is 

on hold will remain in that approver's 






Profile 


Expedite Purchase Orders 


Approver for Purchase 

Order Approvals 

Add Lines to Pending 

Purchase Orders 

Restart/Skip Purchase 

Orders Workflow Steps in 

Error 

Approve/Reject PO on 

behalf of another 

Approver 

Expedite PO through all 

workflow steps 

PO approvals folder. This 

permission displays the Hold option 

in the PO approvals Action lists. 


Expedite a purchase order through 

the approval process. A user with 

this permission can "pull" a PO 

through any pending steps (that 

permit expediting). 


assign a substitute for purchase 

order approval folder. This 

permission allows the Assign 

Substitute buttons to display on the 

PO approvals folder page. 

Provides the ability to add a new line 

to any pending purchase order 

within an approver's personal PO 

approvals folder. Approvers with this 

permission will have the Add to 

Other Cart/PR/PO action on the 

Search Results page. 

Provides the ability to restart 

workflow for any pending purchase 

orders within an approver's personal 

PO approvals folder. This is typically 

necessary with workflow that 

triggers or receives integration 

messages. If an acknowledgement 

message is not received in the 

allotted time or after the defined 

number of retries, the step goes in 

to error status. This functionality 

allows and admin to restart the step, 

i.e., resend the message. 


reject requisitions for another user. 




user to open requisitions that are 

assigned to another user and 

continue them in the process. The 

“change of hands” is tracked in 

History. This permission does not 

allow a user to view another user’s 

folders. You must have the Manage 

Other Approver’s PO Approval 

folders permission to perform this 

task. 

Use of this permission is highly 

cautioned. This permission allows a 

user to bypass all steps in PO 



PO stage. 




organization 







PO stage. 






PO stage. 




organization 





organization 







Profile 



PO Approval folders 

workflow, regardless of whether they 

are assigned as an approver in that 

step. This step should mainly be 

used for testing purposes and 

should only be assigned to a select 

few individuals at each organization. 


view another user’s PO approval 

folders. With this permission, you 

can view another approver’s 

workload and assign a purchase 

order to a different approver. 



must also have the Approve/Reject 

PO on behalf of another person 

permission. 

organization 





organization 


S U P E R U S E R 

The concept of a “Super User” is used to describe a user that has full access over all orders generated on a site, 

including approvals, expediting steps, organization-wide viewing privileges, and more. Typically, an organization will 

assign one or two individuals with the permissions and tasks that are related to being a “Super User.” Super users 

are typically involved in testing new functionality; therefore they need a way to quickly pass through workflow steps. 

Additionally, the super user can push an order “out the door” when approvers are holding an order or there are time 

constraints around sending the order. 

Other functions that a “Super User” can perform typically include: 

• Expediting a PR or PO through any steps 

• Restarting an order (for example after Banner communication is fixed) 

• Approving orders for other approvers 

• Viewing the workload (folders) for other users 

• Viewing Organization-wide history 

There are a number of high-level permissions that are assigned to a “Super User.” Refer to the previous concept 

(page 8) to learn about each of these permissions. 

I M P L I C I T A P P R O V A L 

Organizations often employ workflow rules to route documents to folders for approval based on spend amounts. In 

many cases, the organization will also take advantage of automatic approvals to allow the system to automatically 

approve a user’s own requisitions or purchase orders for a given rule/folder if the user is an approver for that rule. 

Implicit approval takes this functionality one step past the “super user” functionality described above. An 

organization can now allow documents to be automatically approved when the user has a higher spend approval 

authority than the specific folder’s limits, while not requiring that user to perform the typical administrative functions 

associated with the rule/folder. Implicit approvals can be configured for requisition and purchase order dynamic and 

advanced dynamic rules where Enable Automatic Approvals is enabled. 


Configuration for Implicit Approvals 

This feature is disabled by default, and can be set up through both Dynamic Approval and Advanced Dynamic 

workflow. Details below: 

Dynamic Approval Setup: (organization setting, and rule setting) 

• The organization’s system administrator must enable Allow implicit approvals for dynamic workflow on the 

general tab of workflow setup. Enabling this field allows dynamic implicit approvals for custom fields, 

contract type, form type, commodity code and departments where Enable Automatic Approvals is 

checked. 

• Enable Automatic Approvals must be checked for a rule to allow implicit approval. Users with permission 

to manage any of the dynamic approval types may configure implicit approvals for the corresponding 

rules/shared folders. If Enable Automatic Approvals is not checked for a rule, implicit approvals are not 

allowed for that dollar range. 

• When the organization setting is enabled and the rule has Enable Automatic Approvals checked, documents 

that route to the rule that are from an approver who is assigned to a higher rule range will be implicitly 

approved. 

Advanced Dynamic Workflow Approval Setup: 

• To apply Implicit Approvals to Advanced Dynamic Workflow rules, the implicit approver must be added 

directly to the rule. 

• Advanced Dynamic rules now have two approver types for requisitions and purchase orders: 

Approvers continue to be direct rule approvers with access to the approval folder, email notifications, 

etc. 

Implicit Approvers are strictly tly for implicitly approving documents for a given user in a workflow step. 

They will have no access to the folder for approval of orders for other users and they will not receive 

email notifications for the folder/documents. 

 

User should be added as an Approver if they will actively manage and approve all documents for that 

rule. User should be added as an Implicit Approver where it is assumed the user has a higher approval 

authority, and orders in a lower dollar range rule should be implicitly approved if submitted by that user 

only. 

• Enable Automatic Approvals must be checked on the rule for Implicit Approvals to apply. If Enable 

Automatic Approvals is not checked, implicit approval will not occur, even if there are Implicit Approvers 

associated with the rule. 

• A new filter has been added to the Rules Management filter to allow searching for implicit approvers. 

Additionally, the “specify approver” option searches for any rule where the user is an approver or implicit 

approver. 

SciQuest, Inc. 

15 www.SciQuest.com

• Users with permission to manage Advanced Dynamic Workflow can configure implicit approvers for 

advanced dynamic workflow. 

• Implicit Approvers may be added via ADW Rules Import (.txt or .xml format). 

A D M I N I S T R A T I V E O P T I O N : P R E V E N T S A M E U S E R F R O M 

E N T E R I N G / A P P R O V I N G A P R 

SelectSite provides a feature that prevents purchase requisitions from having the same requisitioner as approver. 

From a functional perspective, this setting provides a security setting that does not allow a user to approve his or her 

orders. This option is set at the organization-wide level and can be updated by a system administrator. By default, 

this setting is turned off. In some cases, an organization may choose to keep this setting turned off in the test 

environment (to make testing easier), but will enable it in the Production environment. 

If this setting is enabled, an approver will see his/her requisitions in the folder (typically a shared folder, but it could 

also be in the My Approvals folder) as read only. The assign and approve links are not available. In this state, the 

approver can only perform the operations of a standard requisitioner such as withdrawing, adding a note, copying to a 

cart, etc. All other PR/PO's (from other users) will appear in the normal fashion. 

To activate this setting, go to the workflow setup general Do not allow users to approve their own 

requisitions/POs. Enable this option then click Save. 

A D M I N I S T R A T I V E O P T I O N : E N A B L I N G E M A I L R E M I N D E R S 

An option is available for SelectSite Administrators that allows users with pending approvals for any document type to 

receive email reminders. Administrators can configure the initial interval for the reminder, an optional follow-up 

interval for subsequent reminders, and a reminder threshold based on the age of the approval. An email will be sent 

to any user with a pending approval that is older than the specified interval, reminding them to approve the document 

(PR, PO, Invoice) if possible. 

By default, this option is disabled (OFF). There are three new settings under workflow setup>general navigation for 

specifying the number of days after which the initial reminder should be sent, the number of days after the initial 

reminder each follow-up should be sent, and the maximum age threshold for sending reminders. The reminders are 

based on the creation date of the document in the current approvals folder: 

• If the ‘Send initial follow-up reminder for pending approvals’ setting is left blank, no email reminders for 

pending approvals will be sent. 

• If the ‘Send additional follow-up reminders for pending approvals’ setting is left blank, but the setting for 

initial reminders has a value, only the initial reminder will be sent. 

• Documents older than the ‘Threshold for pending approvals that generate reminders’ setting will not 

generate reminders. 

• These settings are applied are the organization level, and cannot be changed for a specific user. 

• An email reminder is sent per approval folder, and lists all documents within that folder older than the 

specified interval that the receiving user can approve. 

• The reminders are generated a few times per day automatically, so the reminder may not be sent at the 

exact time of day the approval was created. 


Lesson 2: TYPES OF WORKFLOW APPROV AL 

The purpose of this lesson is to look at types of workflow approval steps that you may encounter and how they are 

set up in the system. 

W O R K F L O W A P P R O V A L T Y P E S 

There are a number of different types of workflow steps that can be used in your organization’s workflow process. 

The types of approvals discussed in this lesson all require approval by one or more persons to complete the step. 

The following workflow approval types can be used in conjunction with one another to “build” your organization’s 

workflow setup. 

• Financial Approvals – approvals based on dollar amounts and individual user limits 

• Dynamic Custom Field Approvals – approvals based on the values entered for one more custom fields. 

• Dynamic Form Approvals – approvals based on form types being used by the requisitioner 

• Dynamic Departmental Approvals – approvals based on the requisitioner’s department. 

• Static Workflow Steps – approvals based on unique “hard-coded” criteria that are set up by SciQuest to initiate 

the approval 

F I N A N C I A L A P P R O V A L 

Financial approvals allow organizations to trigger approvals based on a user’s financial limits. If this type of workflow 

approval is used by an organization, it is typically the first manual approval step in the workflow process. This means 

that outside of auto-rejections and other system validations, a user’s financial approver is the first person to review 

and approve or reject the line items in the requisition. 

How Financial Approval Works 

Financial Approval is required when a user submits a requisition that is above their allowed limit, in which case, 

approval is required by a specified approver. For example, David Jones is assigned the Requester role with a 

requisition limit of $400. He submits a requisition for $45 which does not require Financial Approval. He submits a 

second requisition for $600, and Financial Approval is required. 

Setup for Financial Approvals: 

The financial approval step must be set up by SciQuest. There are two other tasks related to using financial 

approvals: 

1. Assigning purchasing and approval limits to users. These limits determine when a user requires financial 

approval. These limits include such things as line-level limit, total requisition limit, P-Cart limit, and more. 

Typically, the Purchasing and Approval limits are set up at the role level. For more information on setting this up, 

refer to the Administrator’s Handbook. The Purchasing/Approval Limits sub-tab in a user’s profile identifies 

what amounts trigger activity such as approval. 

2. Assigning Financial Approvers for each user. Some organizations assign approvers to each of its users and 

others allow their users to determine who can approve their orders. Each user can have one or more financial 

approver assigned. The Financial Approvers sub-tab in a user’s profile is used to set up and view who can 

approve the user’s orders. 

D Y N A M I C C U S T O M F I E L D A P P R O V A L 

A common way in which custom fields are used in SelectSite is to serve as a workflow trigger. For example, an 

organization may use the account code custom field to determine who should review an order. This is referred to as 

dynamic workflow because the approver changes depending on the particular account code (custom field value) 

selected by the user for a requisition or line item. 

Approvers can be assigned to one or more custom field values, and each value can have one or more approvers. If 

one or more approvers are assigned to a custom field value and that value is used in a requisition, then it will trigger 


an approval step. If an approver is not assigned to the custom field value selected, there will not be an approval step, 

which is intentional in most cases. For example, your organization may only require approvals on a few types of 

accounts, such as grants. 

Custom field values and the corresponding approvers, which represent dynamic workflow, are managed by a system 

administrator. The actual step in workflow (i.e. –point in the process) that looks for the approver for the custom field, 

must be set up by SciQuest. 

Setup for Dynamic Custom Field Approvals: 

Dynamic Custom Field approvals must initially be enabled by SciQuest and the step or steps created in workflow. In 

most cases, there are individual steps created for each custom field requiring dynamic approval – mainly because 

there is typically a specific point or “time” in the workflow where each step should occur. 

After the initial setup by SciQuest, the management and control of Dynamic Custom Field approvals can be handled 

fully by the System Administrator. There are a few setup tasks related to Dynamic Custom Field approval for the 

system administrator: 

1. Create a Custom Field (NOT COMMON): Most custom fields used in dynamic approvals will be created by 

SciQuest during your implementation, but in some cases, if the workflow is set up to allow for additional 

approvals to be added as needed, a custom field can be created by a system administrator and used in workflow 

without intervention from SciQuest. More typically, a client will request a dynamic approval step be added to the 

workflow using a previously created custom field or a new one is created by SciQuest for the sole purpose of 

implementing the step. To learn more about creating custom fields, refer to the Administrator Handbook. 

2. Adding Custom Field Values: Approvals are determined by the custom field values created in the system and 

the approvers assigned to each of the values. The initial list of custom field values is typically added to the 

system during implementation, but oftentimes new values are added –either manually by the system 

administrator, via a synch for Banner customers, or custom field imports. To learn more about adding custom 

field values, refer to the Administrator Handbook. 

3. Assigning one or more Approvers for each custom field value requiring approval. If your organization 

determines that it would like an approval whenever a specific custom field value is used, one or more approvers 

must be assigned to the custom field value. If an approver is NOT assigned, the system assumes that approval 

is not required and the dynamic approval step will be skipped. This is intentional because the use of some values 

may not require approvals, while others may. As a system administrator, you can make this determination and 

make changes whenever needed. 

SETTING UP A CATCH-ALL APPROVAL FOLDER: 

If your organization requires that approvals ALWAYS occur for a 

custom field – no matter the value, then a catch-all approval folder 

should be considered. By setting up this folder, there is no risk that 

orders can skip the approval step – even with a new or accidentally 

unassigned custom field value. This folder must be set up by 

SciQuest GPS or Customer Support. 


D Y N A M I C F O R M A P P R O V A L 

Dynamic Form Approval allows you to automatically trigger an approval step based on the type of form that is used 

when requesting an item, service, or action. The forms found on each organization’s site, their intended usage, and 

purpose varies greatly per organization. 

Examples of how Dynamic Form Approvals are Used 

• A user is ordering items for an approved grant. He enters his line items into the Grants Request form and 

submits his cart. After standard approvals, his order is then routed to the Grants Department to ensure he is 

using his funding correctly. This approval step is accomplished by assigning one or more individual to the Grants 

Request form for approvals. 

• A user submits a request to cancel two line items for an order previously distributed to the supplier. The user 

enters the requested changes into the Change Request Form and the order is automatically routed to the 

Purchasing Department for handling. 

Setup for Dynamic Form Approvals: 

Dynamic Form approvals must initially be enabled by SciQuest and the step created in workflow. After this initial 

setup, the management and control of Dynamic Form Approval can be handled fully by the System Administrator. 

1. Create a Form Type and one or more associated Forms. Approvers are assigned to form types. Form types 

are associated with each new form that is created in the system. There may be a 1:1 relationship for some form 

types/form. For example, a Grants form type is created and a Grants Request Form is created. In other cases, 

there may be a 1: many relationship for form type/forms. For example, a Services form type is created and the 

following forms are created: Professional Services Form, Food Services Form, and Lawn Maintenance Form. In 

this case, whenever any of the three forms is used by a requisitioner, it would be routed to the same approver or 

set of approvers. For more information on creating form types and forms, refer to the Administrator Handbook. 

2. Assigning one or more Approvers for each form type. If your organization determines that it would like an 

approval whenever a specific form type is used, one or more approvers must be assigned to the form type. If an 

approver is NOT assigned, the system assumes that approval is not required and the dynamic form approval 

step will be skipped. This is intentional because the use of some forms will not require special approvals, while 

others may. As a system administrator, you can make this determination and make changes whenever policy 

requires. 

D Y N A M I C D E P A R T M E N T A L A P P R O V A L 

Dynamic Departmental Approval allows you to automatically trigger an approval step based on the requisitioner’s 

department. One more approvers can be set up per departmental. Additionally, you can set up rules so that approvals 

only occur with certain dollar amounts. 

Examples of how Dynamic Departmental Approvals is Used 

• Each user in the organization is assigned to a department (i.e. – this is a required field in the profile). Each time a 

user submits an order, the order must be approved by the Department Administrator. This individual - perhaps a 

department head or administrative assistant – will approve orders from all members of this department. The 

approval is set up so that ALL purchases from members of the department go through this step. 

• Dynamic Departmental Approvals are set up, but is only implemented for certain departments – and only set up 

for specific spending thresholds. Therefore, someone in the Athletics department may not have any approvers 

assigned and no approval is required. Orders from the Chemistry department require approval over $50. 

Setup for Dynamic Departmental Approvals: 

Dynamic Departmental approvals must initially be enabled by SciQuest and the step created in workflow. After this 

initial setup, the management and control of Dynamic Departmental Approvals can be handled fully by the System 

Administrator. There are a few setup tasks related to Dynamic Departmental approval for the system administrator: 

1. Make sure that users are assigned a Department. Each user should be assigned to a specific department via 

their profile. 


2. Assigning one or more Approvers for each Department requiring approvals. If your organization 

determines that it would like an approval whenever a requisition is placed from a specific department, one or 

more approvers must be assigned to the department. If an approver is NOT assigned, the system assumes that 

approval is not required and the dynamic departmental approval step will be skipped. This is intentional because 

some departments may not require approvals. As a system administrator, you can make this determination and 

make changes whenever policy requires. 

D Y N A M I C A P P R O V A L B Y C O N T R A C T T Y P E 

Dynamic Approval by Contract Type allows you to automatically trigger an approval step based on the contract type 

associated with a line item in the purchase order. This type of approval is only applicable to those organizations using 

Contract Manager AND using the Contract Type field to classify contracts. For example, all orders from Service 

contracts may be routed to one individual, whereas all orders using the Catering contract may be routed to a different 

individual. One more approvers can be set up per contract type. Additionally, you can set up rules so that approvals 

only occur with certain dollar amounts. 

For more information on contract types, including how they are set up and how to assign approvers to a contract type, 

refer to the Contract Management Handbook. 

S T A T I C W O R K F L O W S T E P S 

In some cases, static or “hard-coded” workflow steps are created to accommodate unique requirements where the 

other approval types cannot be used. Whenever possible, a dynamic workflow step is used so that changes in 

organization requirements can be managed through the application by a system administrator. 

When static workflow steps are created, one or more shared workflow folders are created in the system. Approvers 

are then assigned to those shared workflow folders. 

Examples of static workflow steps include: 

• Purchasing Approval – The final PR workflow step that is initiated if the order is above $5,000. 

• IT Approval – A PR workflow step that is initiated if specific (defined) commodity codes are used, if specific 

(suppliers) are used, or if an IT checkbox is enabled. 

• Order Consolidation – A PR workflow step used to consolidate all orders before being sent to suppliers. 

Setup for Static Workflow Approvals: 

The majority of setup for static workflow approvals is determined during the implementation process. The details – 

including the specific triggers to initiate the step – must be specified. Additionally, the name of the shared workflow 

folder must be specified and set up by SciQuest. 

The single setup task for system administrator is assigning one or more users to the shared workflow folder. Unlike 

dynamic approvals, if no one is assigned to the step, the requisitioner or purchase order will still stop. It cannot move 

past the step until an approver is added and the requisition or order reviewed. 


A D V A N C E D D Y N A M I C W O R K F L O W 

Advanced Dynamic Workflow is advanced functionality in SelectSite that allows administrators to manage highly 

complex workflow rules through the application or through the import process. Details of Advanced Dynamic 

Workflow: 

• Administrative screens are available to manage dynamic workflow for PR, PO, and Fulfillment documents. 

• Workflow rule elements and data combinations can now be managed by the system administrator. For example, 

you can set a rule up to say that if the custom field value is X and the dollar amount is X and the user’s 

requisition limit is under 5,000, then “trigger” the step. Below is a list of the data elements that can be considered 

in advanced dynamic workflow: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Custom Fields – values (single and multi-dimension) and spend against a specific value 

Document and Line Totals 

Form Type 

Department 

Commodity Code 

• Workflow rule examples: 

o 

o 

User Profile Limits – PR, PO 

The ability to create and manage a rule based on a combination of custom field values (e.g. 

Account Code = 1234 and Project Code = ABCD). 

Rule elements can be combined - Amount charged against Account Code 1234 > $5000.00 and 

the Department = Athletics 

• The following permission provides access to this functionality via the Workflow Setup navigation path: Advanced 

Dynamic Workflow. 

An example of advanced dynamic workflow is shown below. 


Exercises 

S E T T I N G U P F I N A N C I A L A P P R O V A L S 

Financial approvals allow organizations to trigger approvals based on a user’s financial limits. If used by an 

organization, financial approval is typically the first manual approval step in the workflow process. This means that 

outside of auto-rejects and other automatic rules, a user’s financial approver is the first person to evaluate the order. 

As mentioned in the Financial Approval concept, there are two tasks that must be completed by an organization 

related to setting up and using this type of workflow. The exercise below details the administrative tasks and activities 

related to managing and troubleshooting financial approvals. 

Step by Step 

The goal of the exercise is to demonstrate how financial approvals are managed and defined in SelectSite. The 

exercise is broken up into individual tasks. 

Task 1: Determine a User’s Requisition and Line Item Limits 

This information is typically set up at the role level and only modified on an as-needed basis for a user. Changes to 

this default information must be set up by a system administrator or someone that manages user profiles at your 

organization. A user’s total requisition limit and line item limit is identified in their profile. For a user to view his/her 

current limits: 

1. Navigate to the following location: Profile PurchasingPurchasing /Approval Limits 

2. Review the amounts for Requisition Limit and Requisition Line Item Limit. 

TAKE NOTE: 

The values for a user’s profile are defaulted from the role level. A 

system administrator can modify the role-level limits and/or make 

updates for a specific user. 

Task 2: Assign a Default Financial Approver 

This is a task that can be performed by a user or administrator. For each user, at least one financial approver must be 

assigned to their profile. If an approver is not assigned and the user submits a requisition requiring approval, the user 

will receive an error message. To set up one or more financial approvers: 

1. Navigate to Profile PurchasingFinancial Approvers. Any approvers that have been set up previously are 

listed. 

2. Click the Add Approver button. Search for, locate, and select your financial approver. Note: Only those users 

assigned an approver role can be selected as an approver. 

3. Once the approver is selected, the user’s name displays in the Financial Approvers screen. Select the Preferred 

button to indicate your default approver. 

4. Repeat the steps above to add any additional approvers if needed. 

TAKE NOTE: 

The Some organizations may choose for an administrator to set up all 

financial approvers. In this case, the same steps above are followed, 

except user profiles are accessed via the user search in user 

management. 


Task 3: Updating a Financial Approver for a specific requisition 

This is an optional task that is performed by a user when working in his/her cart. By default, once a preferred financial 

approver is set up in a user’s profile, this approver displays in any cart (requisition) requiring approval. Directly from 

the cart, the user has the opportunity to review the current approver, change their financial approver, or add a new 

approver. Details: 

1. Open your current cart (items must be added to the cart). To do this, click on the cart icon in the upper-right-hand 

corner of the screen. 

2. Once in the cart, go to Requisition Summary General. 

3. Click the Edit button. A secondary window displays. 

4. From the Financial Approver field, you can select from values in your profile or search for a new approver for 

the requisition. 

C R E A T I N G R U L E S F O R D Y N A M I C A P P R O V A L S 

Rules are used to determine “when” an order or requisition requires approval. For each entity value, such as a 

specific custom field value, department, or form type, you can assign one or more approvers. Additionally, you can 

create rules so that approvers are only required to review orders that meet certain financial criteria. For example, your 

organization may only require departmental approvals for orders over $500. In this case, the rule would reflect that 

minimum amount. Additionally, you can create multiple rules so that different individuals are required to approve 

orders that meet different financial criteria. 

The generic steps below apply to dynamic custom fields, forms, and departments. 

Step by Step 

1. Open the entity that you would like to create a rule for (a custom field value, specific department, etc.). For 

specific instructions, refer to the appropriate exercise in this lesson. 

2. Select the appropriate tab where the workflow step resides: PR, PO, or Fulfillment. For example, if your 

department workflow occurs in PR workflow, use the PR tab. Options: 

• If you have not assigned any users or created any rules previously, you will need to create a rule before 

assigning approvers. To do this, click the Add Rule button. 

• If you would like to assign additional approvers to an existing rule, go to step 9. 

• If you would like to create a different rule with different amounts for approval, click the All Rule button. 

5. Choose in what financial circumstances you would like the approval to occur: 

a. Select Route All, which is selected by default, if you would like the order approved no matter the amount. 

b. Select Route within defined range if you would like one or more approvers to review the order for the 

defined amount. For example, you may want User A to review the orders between $1 - $500. Enter these 

numbers (or the appropriate ranges) in the boxes. 

3. Click the Save Rule button. 

4. Click the … add more approvers link. 

6. Search for, locate, and select the approver that you would like to approve an order with the selected value (form, 

custom field value, etc). 

7. The new approver is listed. Click the …add more approvers link to add any additional approvers for the 

selected rule. 

8. Click the Save Rule button. 

9. Click the Apply All Changes button at the top of the window. 


A S S I G N I N G A P P R O V E R S T O C U S T O M F I E L D V A L U E S 

Approval steps can be triggered by custom field values selected in a requisition. This is referred to as dynamic 

custom field approval. 

If your organization determines that it would like an approval whenever a specific custom field value is used, one or 

more approvers must be assigned to the custom field value. If an approver is NOT assigned, the system assumes 

that approval is not required and the dynamic approval step will be skipped. This is intentional because the use of 

some values may not require approvals, while others may. As a system administrator, you can make this 

determination and make changes whenever needed. 

Step by Step 

The goal of this exercise is to assign approvers to specific custom field values, enabling SelectSite administrators to 

manage dynamic workflow. NOTE: This exercise assumes the custom field and custom field values were created 

previously. 

1. Go to the custom field where you would like to assign approvers: 

a. Go to the organizational setup navigation path. Select the custom fields sub-tab, then the values sub-tab. 

b. From the left side of the screen, select the custom field you will be working with. 

2. Select the first value you will be adding approver(s) to. 

3. To add one or more approvers to a single value, click Add Rule. 

4. Make sure Route All is selected, then click Save Rule. 

5. Click. add more approvers. A user search window displays. 

6. Search for, locate, and select the approver for this value. The user displays under the value. NOTE: Only those 

users with approval permissions can be selected. 

7. Add any additional approvers for this custom field value, then click Save. 

8. Repeat Steps 1-6 for any additional values you would like to add an approver to, then click Apply All Changes. 

IMPORTANT 

By adding an approver to a custom field value, a workflow step is 

automatically added for every requisition containing the custom field 

value and meeting the criteria such as dollar amount (criteria is not 

I M P O R T I N G A N D E X P O R T I N G C U S T O M F I E L D V A L U E S A N D 

A P P R O V E R S 

SelectSite allows you to export and import custom field values and matching approvers. If there are a small number 

of values and approvers, you can set this up by hand. If there are a large number of values and approvers, it is 

recommended to use the import/export process. Typically this process is completed during implementation, but can 

be reviewed and updated at any time. Details about the import/export process: 

• The Export feature allows you to export a complete list of your current custom field values and any approvers 

that are assigned. This information can be used initially as the list for custom field values and your organization 

can enter the user ID for the matching approvers where applicable. The Export feature can also be used to 

review the current approvers. For example, if an individual leaves the organization, you may want to do the 

export to determine what values they are assigned and reassign them as needed. 

• The Import feature allows you to take the updated export file and add the information to your system. This import 

can be used to add both custom field values AND approvers. 

• The data can be imported and exported in two formats: 1) a csv file which can be manipulated in MS Excel or 2) 

xml. 


Step by Step 

The goal of this exercise is to export custom field values and approvers and import this data. 

1. Go to the organizational setup navigation path. Select the custom fields sub-tab, then the Import/Export subtab. 

2. Select the appropriate tab: 

a. Select the CSV Values Import/Export tab for a simple way to assign approvers to custom values and/or 

create new custom fields. This tab should be used if there is the “route all” rule is being used. MS Excel can 

be used to manipulate this data. 

b. Select the CSV Workflow Rule Import/Export to assign approvers to custom values for specific rules – 

such as from $1 - $500. MS Excel can be used to manipulate this data. 

c. Select the CF XML Import/Export tab to use XML messaging for the import and export of custom field 

rules, values, and approvers. 

3. The instructions below are specifically for selection 2a. For information on importing custom field values with 

rules or using xml, refer to the Adobe files available through the site. 

4. Export your current data: 

a. Select Export from the Action drop-down box 

b. Enter the description for the export. For example, “List of Org codes for November 07.” 

c. Select the custom field that you would like to export. 

d. Select the type of workflow that you are exporting (and will be importing) approvers to. 

e. Click Submit. The exported file displays on the right side of the screen. 

5. Open your exported file: 

a. From the right side of the screen, the file name will be a link after it is processed. You may have to click the 

Refresh button if you do not see the file name. 

b. Click the file name, then save the file to your hard drive. 

c. Open the file in MS Excel and update it as needed (adding values and approvers). Keep in mind, the userID 

must be the actual user ID in SelectSite – not the user’s last name/first name or your system ID. 

d. Save the “final” copy of the file as a .txt file. 

6. Validate the file before importing: 

a. Select Validate from the Action drop-down box 

b. Enter the description for the file. For example, “Updated Approvers for Org values –Nov 07.” 

c. Browse and select the file name (from Step 2). 

d. Select the type of workflow that you are importing approvers to. 

e. Click Submit. The file will begin its validation. 

f. If there are any errors or warnings, they will be listed and you should correct those prior to importing the 

items. 

g. The imported file displays on the right side of the screen. 

7. Open your exported file: 

a. From the right side of the screen, the file name will be a link after it is processed. You may have to click the 

Refresh button if you do not see the file name. 

b. Click the file name, then save the file to your hard drive. 

c. Open the file in MS Excel and update it as needed (adding values and approvers). Keep in mind, the userID 

must be the actual user ID in SelectSite – not the user’s last name/first name or your system ID. For other 

tips, such as understanding the column values, refer to the Adobe instructional file on the site. 

d. Save the “final” copy of the file as a .txt file. 

8. Import the data AFTER validating: 

a. Select Import from the Action drop-down box 

b. Enter the description for the file. For example, “Updated Approvers for Org values –Nov 07.” 

c. Browse and select the file name (from Step 2). 

d. Select the type of workflow that you are importing approvers to. 

e. Click Submit. The file will be imported and you will be notified of its success or if any issues occur. 


9. Click the Apply All Changes button to activate the changes. 

A S S I G N I N G A P P R O V E R S T O F O R M T Y P E S 

Dynamic Form Approval allows you to automatically trigger an approval step based on the type of form that is used 

when requesting an item, service, or action. The forms found on each organization’s site, their intended usage, and 

purpose varies greatly per organization. 

The purpose of this exercise is to provide instructions on how to add approvers to form types. Keep in mind that in 

order for dynamic form approvals to work, the step must be initially set up by SciQuest. 

If your organization determines that it would like an approval whenever a specific form type is used, one or more 

approvers must be assigned to the form type. If an approver is NOT assigned, the system assumes that approval is 

not required and the dynamic form approval step will be skipped. This is intentional because the use of some forms 

will not require special approvals, while others may. As a system administrator, you can make this determination and 

make changes whenever policy requires. 

Additional forms can be created to track specific types of requests. If your organization chooses to create additional 

forms and would like the form(s) to trigger an approval process, it is important to set up a NEW form type. For more 

information, refer to the Forms lesson in the Administrator Handbook. 

Step by Step 

The goal of this exercise is to set up dynamic workflow based on form type. After creating a form type and associating 

a new form to the form type, you must assign approvers to the form type to activate the approval process. This 

exercise assumes that the form type and associated form(s) have been created. 

1. Open the form type: 

a. Go to the Forms admin tab. 

b. Select the Form Type Admin sub-tab. 

2. Select the Form Type from the left side of the screen. The right side of the window populates, including the form 

type assignment setup. 

3. Select the type of workflow (Requisition, PO, Fulfillment, or Invoice) 



6. Click add more approvers. A user search window displays. 

7. Search for, locate, and select the approver for this form type. NOTE: You can only select from those users with 

approval permissions. The user displays with the form type. 

8. Add any additional approvers for this form type, then click Save. 

IMPORTANT 

By adding an approver to a form type, a workflow step is automatically 

added for every requisition using forms assigned to the form type. 

A S S I G N I N G A P P R O V E R S T O D E P A R T M E N T S 

Dynamic Departmental Approval allows you to automatically trigger an approval step based on the department that a 

user is assigned to when they are requesting an item, service, or action. 

The purpose of this exercise is to provide instructions on how to add approvers to departments. Keep in mind that in 

order for dynamic departmental approvals to work, the step must be initially set up by SciQuest. 

If your organization determines that it would like an approval based on the user’s department, one or more approvers 

must be assigned to the department. If an approver is NOT assigned, the system assumes that approval is not 


equired and the approval step will be skipped. This is intentional because some departments may not require 

approval, while others may. As a system administrator, you can make this determination and make changes 

whenever policy requires. 

Step by Step 

The goal of this exercise is to set up dynamic workflow based on department. After adding a department, you must 

assign approvers to the departments to activate the approval process. 

1. Open the department: 

a. Go to the user mgt tab. 

b. Select the hr config sub-tab. 



4. Click add more approvers. A user search window displays. 

5. Search for, locate, and select the approver for this form type. NOTE: You can only select from those users with 

approval permissions. The user displays with the form type. 

6. Add any additional approvers for this department, then click Save. 

A S S I G N I N G A P P R O V E R S T O S H A R E D W O R K F L O W F O L D E R S 

Shared Workflow Folders are folders are created for static workflow rules requiring manual approvals. Examples of 

this include a EH&S folder, a High Dollar approval folder, and IT Review folder, and more. 

Step by Step 

The goal is to assign users to shared workflow folders. 

1. Go to the workflow setup navigation tab. 

2. Select the appropriate sub-tab, which determines the “type” of workflow you are working with: requisition, 

purchase order, fulfillment, or invoice. 

3. Select the shared workflow folders sub-tab. 

4. Click the Shared Workflow Folders sub-tab. 

5. On the left side of the screen is a list of all workflow folders set up for your organization. These names were 

determined during your site design and can only be renamed by SciQuest. 

6. Click on the appropriate workflow folder under the Folders list. Add the approver or approvers to be assigned to 

this workflow folder: 

a. Click the Add User button on the right side of the screen. The user search pop-up displays. 

b. Locate and select the user to add as the approver for the selected workflow folder. Note: Only those users 

with approval permissions are eligible for selection. 

c. Repeat the process for any additional approvers to add to the workflow folder. It is recommended to have 

more than one person assigned to each workflow folder in case there are unexpected absences, vacations, 

etc. 

7. Repeat Step 6 for the remaining workflow folders. To remove a user from a workflow folder, click the Remove 

button to the right of the user’s name in the selected folder. 

Once an approver is added to a workflow folder, they will begin receiving notification when requisitions or orders 

move to that step of the process. This assumes the approver has the appropriate email notifications enabled 


Lesson 3: PERFORMING APPROV AL TASKS 

This lesson is geared for individuals responsible for approving purchase requisitions and purchase orders. The 

previous lessons in this handbook are more focused on administrative setup, but the goal of this lesson is to educate 

departmental approvers, buyers, and all other types of approvers on how to review, approve, and reject line items 

and orders in SelectSite. 

Key Concepts 

A P P R O V E R 

The term approver is used to describe someone that is responsible for reviewing and evaluating purchase orders 

and purchase requisitions. The term approver is also used to describe someone who has the ability to view 

departmental or organization-wide order history. Approvers consist of departmental approvers, buyers, and more. 

Assigning a user approver permissions will not automatically allow the user to perform approval-related tasks. Before 

an approver can perform approval-related tasks, he or she must be assigned to the appropriate shared workflow 

folder, set up as a financial approver, or set up as a dynamic approver. These tasks are discussed in the previous 

lesson. 

A P P R O V A L B A S I C S 

• In order to approve requisitions, you must have the appropriate approval permissions. Permissions are granted 

through role assignment and/or individual permissions being granted by a system administrator. 

• Approvers can choose whether or not to receive email notification when an order requiring approval lands in their 

“queue.” This is set up via the user’s profile and is detailed on one of the exercises in this lesson. 

• There are two types of approvals: 1) Manual approvals, requiring human intervention, and 2) System approval, 

which is automatic. This section of the training guide discussed how to approve/reject orders requiring a manual 

review. 

• An entire requisition can be approved or one or more line items in the requisition can be rejected. If part of a 

requisition is rejected (one or more line items), the remaining line items continue in the process. 

• Comments and attachments can be sent “back and forth” between requisitioners and approvers during the 

approval process. 

• Requisitions can be Returned from an external ERP system, including Banner, to the requisitioner for updates 

and re-processing. Additionally, requisitions can be marked as approved or rejected from the third-party system. 

• If a line item or the entire requisition is rejected (by an individual or the system), the rejection notice will show up 

in PO History. If the user is set up to receive email notifications for rejections, they will receive an email also. This 

email contains the rejection note entered by the approver. 

• Some types of approval are directed at a single individual and no one else can approve the order (unless a 

substitute is set up or the order forwarded). Examples of this are for financial approvals or “reports to” approvals. 

• Other approval queues can be assigned to multiple approvers. As an organization or department, you can 

determine how the approvals are handled. For example, you may have a primary approver and someone else 

may be assigned as a back-up approver OR two people can be assigned to the queue and each individual 

“takes” orders as their schedule allows. Examples of this type of setup include shared workflow folders, form 

approval, and more. 


T H E A P P R O V A L S S C R E E N S 

The approvals screens are accessed when an approver is reviewing a purchase requisition, purchase order, and 

sales orders (for Supplies Manager). There are approvals screens for each “type” of approval (PR, PR, Fulfillment, 

and Invoice), each of which can be accessed through the approvals navigation tab... Depending on your site setup 

and your permissions, you may be able to see one, two, three, or all of these tabs. In the example below, the 

requisition and purchase order tabs are available to the approver. 

The Home Page: Snapshot of Documents Requiring your Approval 

The Action Items area of the home page is where many users go to access their requisitions (in process and 

completed), check to see if there are any documents requiring approval and review, and more. This section of the 

home page is located on the upper, left side of the screen. 

The Approvals section of the Action Items box shows approvals that have been assigned to the approver and 

unassigned approvals. From here, an approver can see carts that have been assigned to him/her, requisitions, 

purchase orders, and invoices, as shown below. To go directly to the approvals page, click the blue link. 


Details and “Tips and Tricks” for reviewing documents: 

• The folder at the top of the screen is the My Approvals folder. Depending on the screen you are on, it can hold 

PRs, POs, or sales orders. When a document is in this folder, the approver owns it. Only an administrator can 

move a document out of this folder. Documents can automatically be placed in the “My Approvals” folder for 

financial workflow or moved from a shared workflow folder and into the My Approvals folder. When an order is 

moved from a shared folder to someone’s folder, the approver is indicated to all users from the shared folder. 

• Shared workflow folders are folders that can be accessed by one or more approvers and display under the My 

Approvals folder. In some cases, there will only be one approver per folder, but more can be set up if needed. 

The actual folders that display for an approver is dependent on what they are responsible for approving. 

Therefore, an approver might see one, two, or twenty folders. 

• Use the filters at the top of the screen to view specific types of approvals. From here, you can determine 

whether you want to view all shared folders (with or without orders waiting for approval), whether you view 

notifications, priority, status, and date range. You can also filter documents by custom field, as shown in the 

second half of the screen below. NOTE: The custom fields that display in this list is determined by custom field 

setup. 

• Click the show requisition details link to view more detailed information about the document. 


• To move multiple documents to your My Approvals folder, click the Select checkbox to the right of each 

document, then select Assign to Me in the drop-down box. 

• Use the Drop-down box in the upper right-hand corner of the screen to perform a number of functions, including 

automatically approving orders, moving orders back to the shared folder, and more. 

• The sort order for documents is remembered when an approver leaves the screen and returns. This affects all 

workflow queues that the user has access to. For example, if you are responsible for approving orders for three 

different account codes, you might choose to sort them by department. The next time you log in to approve an 

order, your sort preference will be remembered. 

R E T U R N I N G R E Q U I S I T I O N S F R O M A T H I R D - P A R T Y S Y S T E M 

In some cases, integrations are set up that allow the approval process to occur in a third-party ERP System. 

Responses from these systems can include a rejection, an approval, or a returned status, which returns the 

requisition to the requisitioner for review and processing. The status and reason from the third-party system is 

captured in the requisition History. 

If a requisitioner would like to receive an email notification regarding the PR validation status from the third-party 

system, the preference “PR rejected/returned” must be ON in the user’s profile in order for the user to receive these 

emails. 

Administrative Notes 

• The reason the requisition was returned is included in the email if the setting “Include Requisition Notes in 

Email” is turned ON. This setting is found under organization setup > ordering > system > configuration > 

Misc Settings. Note that turning this setting on means that all emails for rejected or returned requisitions will 

include the notes in the email, including manual rejections. 

• The email for automatically returned requisitions is the same email that is sent for requisitions returned or 

rejected by an approver. You can modify the text of the email to cover both of these scenarios in field 

management. This is found by navigating field management under the Browse fields tab: General > misc > Email 

Notification > PR Returned. 

Banner Integrations 

• Banner is one of the third-party integration options used by SelectSite customers for PR validation. A Banner 

budget authorization may fail due to an invalid user, invalid accounts, or insufficient funds. A workflow setting is 

available that returns the requisition that failed budget authorization instead of rejecting it. Shoppers can correct 

and resubmit the requisition without having to create a new requisition. 

• The reason the requisition was returned is included in the email if the setting “Include Requisition Notes in Email” 

is turned ON. This setting is found under organization setup > ordering > system > configuration > Misc 

Settings. Please note that turning this setting on means that all emails for rejected or returned requisitions will 

include the notes in the email, including manual rejections. 

• When a requisition is returned, it is returned at the header level – not individual lines. 

A U T O M A T I C A P P R O V A L O F A N A P P R O V E R ’ S O R D E R 

A feature is available that enables automatic approval of any workflow step where an approver in that step placed the 

order. This should provide considerable time savings for approvers who previously placed orders that required them 

to immediately find the document and manually approve multiple steps. 

This option is available for PRs, POs, Invoices, and Sales Orders (Supplies Manager), and requires no special 

permissions to set up or use. To give more control over this feature, automatic approvals are controlled separately for 

each of the workflow types at the rule level, rather than globally at the user level. The settings can be enabled for 

static workflow folders, dynamic workflow, and advanced dynamic workflow. More on the settings below: 

Standard (Static) Workflow 

• Automatic approvals can be enabled/disabled for each shared workflow folder. 

• Enable/disable using the Allow Automatic Approvals setting on a selected folder. 


Dynamic Workflow 

• Automatic approvals can be enabled/disabled for each rule at the value level, but a default setting for each field 

can be used both to determine the default for any new rules created, and to enable/disable automatic approvals 

for existing rules for the field. 

• Enable/disable for individual rules using the Allow Automatic Approvals setting for each rule. This setting will 

not be available until at least one approver has been added for the rule. 

• Set the default value for all rules under a custom field using the Use automatic approvals for all workflow 

rules by default setting on Organization SetupDefinitions. 

Advanced Dynamic Workflow 

• Automatic approvals can be enabled/disabled for each advanced dynamic workflow rule. 

• Enable/disable using the Allow Automatic Approvals setting on each rule. 

• When automatic approvals are enabled for a given step in workflow, the step will be automatically approved if the 

order was submitted by an approver of that step. Note: Automatic approvals only consider the ‘Submitted by’ 

individual, not ‘Submitted for’. 

A P P R O V A L N O T I F I C A T I O N S V I A E M A I L 

Approvers can be notified of a requisition or purchase order requiring attention via email. Receiving emails is 

optional, but is highly recommended. In order to receive emails, the appropriate email notifications must be enabled. 

These notifications can be enabled at the role level, meaning that individual approvers do not need to set this up if the 

organization has set this up for the approvers, or can be set up on a per-user basis. 

Email Notifications related to approvals: 

Email notifications are set up in the user profile: User Settings Email Preferences. The following notifications 

should be enabled for approvers responsible for reviewing and approving purchase requisitions or purchase orders: 

• PR Pending Workflow Approval.. If this email preference is enabled, a user will receive an email when a 

purchase requisition requiring his/her attention is ready for review. 

• PO Pending Workflow Approval.. If this email preference is enabled, a user will receive an email when a 


Email Format: HTML or Plain Text 

The email that a user receives can not only vary in format, but also in content. “How” the email looks is dependent on 

organizational settings, along with user preferences: 

HTML or Plain Text Email: Emails can be sent to users via an HTML format or plain text format. Although the HTML 

format is visually nicer, sometimes there are limitations that require users to select plain text. 

• Organizations can determine at an overall level what format to send emails to its approvers. This is set up by an 

administrator via organization setup system Email Settings. The Organization preferred email format can 

be set to Plain Text or HTML (the default setting). An organization might choose to default to plain text if it is their 

required email format or if most approvers will be viewing the email via a mobile device where email is best 

rendered without formatting. 

• Approvers can override the format setting from their profile: Profile User Settings Personal Settings 

Preferred email format. Choose HTML or Plain Text. 

Email Contents: Three Options 

There are three different types of emails that can be received by approvers, each of which is explained below. 

Option 1: Basic Email 

By default, the basic email notification is sent to approvers, which lets the user know that an order requiring their 

attention is in the queue. A link that takes the user directly to the order requiring attention is also available. An 

example of this email is provided below: 


Option 2: Email with Order Data 

A more advanced notification is also available that provides ordering data within the email. For example, the email 

indicates who the requester is, the line item information, the total dollar amount, accounting codes charged, and 

more. The user can then click a link to login to SelectSite where he/she can approve or reject the order. This option 

allows the organization to share detailed order information quickly and easily, while still requiring approvers to take 

action in their site. 

NOTE: This option can be used in conjunction with Option 3, below. For example, you may want all approvers to view 

the email with order data, but only allow a sub-set to approve/reject directly from the email. 

This is an administrative setting and is enabled at the organization level for all approvers (i.e. – not a role or user 

setting). To enable this option, go to workflow setup general. Enable the Send detailed information in Pending 

Approval email notifications (all approvers) checkbox. 

An example of this email is provided below: 


Key information about the 

requisition (or purchase order), 

including user, total dollar amount, 

and the start of line item details. 

Additional information such as 

shipping, and the link to access the 

PR or PO for full review in the 

application. 

Option 3: Email with Order Data AND the ability to Approve/Reject 

A final email option is available that not only allows the user to view important order data, as described in Option 2, 

but also allows the user to approve or reject the requisition or order directly from the email – without logging into the 

system. 

This option is especially helpful for those who log into the system infrequently or are viewing emails via mobile 

devices. Approvers will continue to have the ability to take action in the application; however, this option allows 

approvers to also take action from their desktop email, or on many mobile devices without having to access the 

application, potentially decreasing the length of the procure-to-order process. 

To take advantage of email approvals, there are four settings that must be configured by an administrator, and by 

default are NOT enabled. Additionally, the approver must have one of the following permissions enabled: 

Approve/Reject Requisitions via email OR Approve/Reject Purchase Orders via email. 

For more information on the setup for this option, refer to Email Approvals: How it Works on page 37, Information 

Included in Emails with Order Data on page 37, and Email Approvals: Setup and Configuration on page 38. 


For step-by-step instructions on how email approvals/rejections are performed, refer to Approving and Rejecting a PR 

or PO from an Email on page 43. 

An example of this email is provided below, shown in three parts: 

Option for organizations using an external login method and email approvals: 

For those organizations using email approval and an external login method, an option is available that assists with the 

login process. Approvers will be directed to a specific screen (from an email notification) after they are authenticated 

by the external system. For example, if an approver receives an email about a pending order to approve (and they 

are not currently logged in the system), clicking the link in the email will redirect them to their login page. If they 

successfully login within two minutes, they will be directed to the specific document referenced in the email 

notification. 

To enable this feature, a setting must be turned OFF: Organization Setup -> System -> Email Settings Exclude 

URL links in Document-based Emails 


E M A I L A P P R O V A L S : H O W I T W O R K S 

Organizations with requisition or purchase order workflow can offer their approvers the ability to take action on 

documents quickly whether they are in the office or on the go. Email approvals allow an approver to receive an email 

with important information regarding the order to approve or reject, along with the ability to approve or reject the PR 

or PO without logging into SelectSite. With the option and permissions enabled, approvers will receive an enhanced 

approval email containing pertinent order information and a quick action webpage link where action may be taken. 

How does it work? 

When email approval is enabled, organizations will, by default, require approvers to enter an email approval code to 

take action from the webpage link, therefore ensuring the authorized approver is the person taking action on the 

requisition or purchase order. Approvers maintain an email approval code in their profile. When the approver 

accesses the approval webpage, they enter the email approval code and are authenticated as the authorized 

approver. 

Additional Details: 

• Only approvers given permission to approve/reject requisitions or PO’s via email will receive the enhanced email. 

The default email received by those who do not have this permission is the existing basic email notification. If 

the organization wants all other approvers that to receive the enhanced email without approval links, this may be 

configured. See section below for Enhanced Approval Email Notification. 

• Users will not be able to approve from email where the organization has required email approval codes, but the 

approver has not yet configured an approval code in their profile. In this case, the approver will receive the 

enhanced email with order information; however, the email will not contain a link to the approval webpage. 

Instead, a warning message will display directing them to their site to take action on the document as well as to 

configure their email approval code to take action from future emails. 

Taking action: 

• After reviewing the order details in the email, the approver will select the link to access the secure approval 

webpage. 

• The webpage that launches will render in the approver’s site colors, and will display limited document information 

to confirm the approver has landed on the appropriate approval page. 

• The approver will have the same actions that are available to them in the site, for taking action on entire 

documents. Possible actions include: 

• Requisition: approve, reject, assign to myself, and return to requisitioner (if available to the 

organization). 

• Purchase order: approve, reject, assign to myself. 

• The approver will select the desired action and enter a comment if they choose. Approvers must enter their 

email approval code to submit the action for organizations where it is required. 

• Once the action is complete, the approver receives a confirmation webpage. The action is logged in history as 

having been taken via email. Comments are also logged to Comments and history. 

• If action has already been taken by another approver in a shared folder, the approver will receive a message that 

action has already been taken on the document. 

I N F O R M A T I O N I N C L U D E D I N E M A I L S W I T H O R D E R D A T A 

If an organization chooses not to use the basic email notifications sent to approvers for pending purchase requisitions 

or purchase orders, a more detailed email will be sent, providing item and order data. The purpose of this concept is 

to provide a detailed list of information that will be provided in these email notifications: 

Information included with PR Approval Notification emails: 

• Summary information including Cart Name, Requisition #, Prepared by user, Prepared for user (if different than 

prepared by user), Workflow Folder , Priority, No. of line items, and Total amount/currency of the requisition. 


• Line level information including Supplier Name, Item number (number of the line on the requisition, Item 1, Item 

2, etc.), indication if the item is a non-catalog item, indication if the item is rejected or withdrawn, Product 

Description, Catalog Number, Quantity, Unit Price, Extended Price, Custom Catalog Attributes (if applicable) - 

Displays if the attribute is active and has a value, Contract number and name (if applicable), Size/Packaging, 

Taxable, Capital Expense, Commodity Code, Product flags - listed if true for the item, Custom field values – line 

values or if line is different from header value, Internal Notes - if populated, Internal Attachments - if present, and 

External Attachments - if present. 

• NOTE: If the requisition contains more than ten lines, a message displays indicating user must login to 

see the details. If the item was rejected or withdrawn in a previous approval step, only the Product 

Description and Catalog number displays for that line. 

• Form data including the name and type of form that was used to populate the line item(s). 

• Account Codes information including the field, value, and description. For example: Project: 123, Services. 

• Additional information such as the comments, the list of other approvers, names for internal attachments and 

supplier attachments, shipping address. 

• A hyperlink to take action on the requisition. NOTE: This link does not display if the approver does not have 

an approval code set up or if it is the user’s own order. This link also does not display for those organizations that 

do not allow direct approvals from email. 

Information included with PO Approval Notification emails: 

• Summary information including Purchase Order #, Owner Name, Workflow Folder , Priority, Contract, No. of 

line items, and Total amount/currency of the requisition. 

• Line level information including Supplier Name, Item number (number of the line on the requisition, Item 1, Item 

2, etc.), indication if the item is a non-catalog item, indication if the item is rejected or withdrawn, Product 

Description, Catalog Number, Quantity, Unit Price, Extended Price, Custom Catalog Attributes (if applicable) - 

Displays if the attribute is active and has a value, Contract number and name (if applicable), Size/Packaging, 

Taxable, Capital Expense, Commodity Code, Product flags - listed if true for the item, Custom field values – line 

values or if line is different from header value, Internal Notes - if populated, Internal Attachments - if present, and 

External Attachments - if present. 

• NOTE: If the PO contains more than ten lines, a message displays indicating user must login to see the 

details. If the item was rejected or withdrawn in a previous approval step, only the Product Description 

and Catalog number displays for that line. 

• Form data including the name and type of form that was used to populate the line item(s). 

• Account Codes information including the field, value, and description. For example: Project: 123, Services. 

• Additional information such as the comments, the list of other approvers, names for internal attachments and 

supplier attachments, shipping address. 

• A hyperlink to take action on the PO. NOTE: This link does not display if the approver does not have an 

approval code set up or if it is the user’s own order. This link also does not display for those organizations that do 

not allow direct approvals from email. 

E M A I L A P P R O V A L S : S E T U P A N D C O N F I G U R A T I O N 

In order for an organization to allow email approvals there are a few settings that must be enabled. Some of these are 

at the organizational level, and others are permissions or recommended email notifications. Each of these is 

described in detail below. 

Organizational Settings 

There are four organizational settings that musts be reviewed and enabled if appropriate. These settings are found in 

the workflow setup navigation tab general sub-tab. Each of the settings is explained below: 


• Approvers may take action on requisitions via email. This setting allows an organization’s approvers to 

receive emails with order information and approve or reject PRs without logging into SelectSite. NOTE: This 

setting alone does not enable approvers to take action on emails. The users must also be assigned the 

appropriate permissions (described below). 

• Approvers may take action on purchase orders via email. This setting allows an organization’s approvers to 

receive emails with order information and approve or reject POs without logging into SelectSite. NOTE: This 

setting alone does not enable approvers to take action on emails. The users must also be assigned the 

appropriate permissions (described below). 

• Organization does not require approval code for email approval. By default, when an organization chooses 

to enable email approvals for PRs or POs, an approval code is required to be entered by the approver before 

approving or rejecting an order or requisition. This is put in place as a security measure, but occasionally an 

organization may not require approvers to use approval codes. In this case, the Organization does not require 

approval code for email approval checkbox should be enabled. NOTE: This configuration choice applies to both 

PR and PO approvals. 

NOTE: Once an approval code is required, an organization must contact SciQuest Customer Support to disable 

this feature. 

• Minimum approval code length. Organizations requiring email approval codes may optionally configure a 

minimum character requirement for the email approval code length. By default the minimum required characters 

is four. Simply enter a higher number in this setting if needed. 

Permissions to enable at the role and/or user level 

In addition to the settings listed above, specific permissions must be enabled in order for a user to receive and take 

action on an approval via email. These permissions can be set up at the role level and be “automatically” assigned at 

the user level or granted on an individual basis. 

For purchase requisition email approvals: 

• Approve/Reject Requisitions – This it the “standard” approval permission, and is required by all approvers, 

whether approving via email or directly through the approvals screens in the application. 

• Approve/Reject Requisitions via email – This permission is used in conjunction with the standard permission, 

and the organization setting described above to allow email approvals at the organization level. By enabling this 

permission, the approver will immediately begin receiving detailed emails, where they can approve or reject 

requisitions without logging into the system. 

For purchase order email approvals: 

• Approve/Reject Purchase Orders – This it the “standard” approval permission, and is required by all approvers, 

whether approving via email or directly through the approvals screens in the application. 

• Approve/Reject Purchase Orders via email – This permission is used in conjunction with the standard 

permission, and the organization setting described above to allow email approvals at the organization level. By 

enabling this permission, the approver will immediately begin receiving detailed emails, where they can approve 

or reject orders without logging into the system. 

Recommended Email Notifications 

Email notifications are set up in the user profile: User Settings Email Preferences. The following notifications 

should be enabled for approvers responsible for reviewing and approving purchase requisitions or purchase orders: 

• PR Pending Workflow Approval. If this email preference is enabled, a user will receive an email when a 


• PO Pending Workflow Approval. If this email preference is enabled, a user will receive an email when a 



NOTE: This email will look differently and will function differently if your organization is NOT using email approvals. 

For more information on the different types of email notifications available, refer to Approval Notifications via Email on 

page 33. 

Email Format: HTML or Plain Text 

Emails can be sent to users via an HTML format or plain text format. Although the HTML format is visually nicer, 

sometimes there are limitations that require users to select plain text. 

• Organizations can determine at an overall level what format to send emails to its approvers. This is set up by an 

administrator via organization setup system Email Settings. The Organization preferred email format can 

be set to Plain Text or HTML (the default setting). An organization might choose to default to plain text if it is their 

required email format or if most approvers will be viewing the email via a mobile device where email is best 

rendered without formatting. 

• Approvers can override the format setting from their profile: Profile User Settings Personal Settings 

Preferred email format. Choose HTML or Plain Text. 

Setting up Approval Codes 

In order to take action on a requisition or purchase order, most organizations require the approver enter an approval 

code to validate the user. This is a security measure, and can easily be entered via a mobile device or from the popup 

that displays from an email. 

Approver Task: 

Users must set up their approval code before the detailed emails will be sent. This code can be entered via the user 

profile: User Settings User Identification Email Approval Code. The user’s code must meet the 

organization’s minimum character requirement and may be any combination of letters, numbers and characters. 

Administrator Task: 

Email approval codes are easily set up and maintained by individual approvers. However, should the organization 

choose to configure each approver’s profile, this may be done via the text, tab-delimited user import. For more 

information on this task, refer to the Administrator Handbook: Day to Day Tasks. 

System Administrators will be able to proactively determine which approvers have entered their email approval code. 

The field is available in the advanced CSV user export, and the value will be true where users have email approval 

codes and false where the value is blank. 

Exercises 

M O V I N G D O C U M E N T S ( P R / P O / I N V O I C E ) T O M Y A P P R O V A L S 

F O L D E R 

Some requisitions, orders, and invoices requiring review automatically go to your approvals folder. If an approval step 

CAN be shared by more than one person, the document must be assigned to the approver before it is reviewed, 

updated, etc. By placing the pending document (PR, PO, or Invoice) in the My Approvals folder, it signifies that the 

approver is responsible for the current step of workflow for the item(s). If multiple approvers are assigned access to a 

folder, then, by moving an item into the My Approvals folder, the approver is indicating their intent to review (approve 

or reject) the order. 

Note: Requisitions that require financial approval by a specific approver will be placed automatically in the My 

Approvals folder. 

Step by Step 

The goal of the exercise is to select and reserve a requisition, purchase order, or invoice for approval review. This 

exercise will move a document to a user’s My Approvals folder. 

1. Reference the Action Items Approvals section on the home/shop tab. 


2. Click on the appropriate item in the Unassigned Approvals section (purchase order, invoices, etc). You will be 

taken to the appropriate sub-tab in the approval navigation tab. 

3. To move one document to your approval folder: 

a. Select a document from an approval folder with a state of Not Assigned. Note: Documents that have been 

assigned will not have the Assign link available. 

b. Click the Assign link in the Action column to move the document to the My Approvals (PR or PO) folder. 

The document is now in the user’s personal approvals folder, and the approver’s user name is now listed 

under the Approver column as shown below. 

To quickly move multiple documents to your approval folder: 

c. Enable the Select checkbox for the individual items that you would like to assign to your approvals folder 

OR enable the top Select checkbox to enable ALL available line items. After you have selected which 

documents to assign, select the Assign option from the Apply Action drop-down box (as shown below). 

4. After you have moved the item(s) to your approvals folder, the next step is to review the requisition or purchase 

order for processing. Refer to the next exercise for further information on approving a requisition or order. 

R E V I E W I N G A W O R K F L O W D O C U M E N T 

An approver can review all the details of a requisition, purchase order, revised purchase order or invoice as part of 

the approval process. The approver can review this information by following the steps described in this exercise. 

NOTE: This exercise assumes the approver is working in SelectSite to perform this task. For details on reviewing a 

PR or PO from an email notification, refer to Approving and Rejecting a PR or PO from an Email on page 43. 

Step by Step 

The goal of the exercise is to demonstrate reviewing workflow documents orders in SelectSite. 

1. Go to the approvals navigation tab. 

2. Go to the appropriate sub-tab, depending on whether you are reviewing a purchase order, purchase requisition, 

or an invoice. 

3. In most cases, you will approve documents after assigning them to yourself. If the document needing approval is 

not found in that folder, refer to the previous exercise to move it to this part of the screen. 


4. From the My Approvals table, select the view… link to the right of the requisition number to access the details 

of the document. 

5. Once you open the document, notice how it looks very similar to a cart that is submitted. The primary difference 

is that in some cases the data allowed to edit is limited, and the PR/PO workflow has been updated with any 

previous steps. The next step is to review and edit the document as needed. NOTE: Supplier information cannot 

be modified on a PO. 

6. Click the Save Updates button to save all changes. Refer to the next few to approve or reject the document or 

line items. 

A P P R O V I N G A W O R K F L O W D O C U M E N T 

The approver can quickly complete the approval process once the review of the document is complete. This exercise 

explains how to approve PR, PO, revised PO, and Invoice documents in workflow. 

NOTE: This exercise assumes the approver is working in SelectSite to perform this task. For details on approving a 

PR or PO from an email notification, refer to Approving and Rejecting a PR or PO from an Email on page 43. 

Step by Step 

The goal of the exercise is to demonstrate approving purchase requisitions and purchase orders in SelectSite. The 

assumption in this exercise is that the document (requisition or order) has been accessed and reviewed or is ready 

for approval. 

1. QUICK APPROVALS: If you do not need to open a requisition or order before it is approved: 

a. Click the Approve button for an order that is found in your My Approvals folder. 

b. If one or more orders are in a shared folder, click on the Select checkboxes for the appropriate documents, 

then select Approve/Complete from the Action drop-down list box. 

2. STANDARD APPROVALS: With standard approvals, the approver opens the order and reviews the information 

and makes any changes if needed, then approves the order. 

a. Open the document (requisition or order). 

b. Review the information and make updates if needed. 

c. Click the Go button at the top of the screen. Make sure the Approve/Complete option is selected. 

R E J E C T I N G A W O R K F L O W D O C U M E N T 

To reject a requisition or order, Approvers now have the ability to reject all lines of a requisition in one single action 

rather than line by line. SelectSite also allows you to delete select line items from a requisition or order. This exercise 

explains how an approver can reject documents and lines from PR and PO documents. This exercise assumes the 

approver is working in SelectSite to perform this task. For details on rejecting a PR or PO from an email notification, 

refer to Approving and Rejecting a PR or PO from an Email on page 43. 

NOTE: If the approver enters a rejection note, this information will be sent with the rejection email to the requisitioner. 

NOTE: Use caution is you are reviewing a purchase order that has been created and revised (change order). 

Understand that by rejecting a PO revision, the original PO is also rejected. 

Step by Step 

The goal of the exercise is to demonstrate rejecting the entire PR document. 

1. Open the requisition or order (refer to previous exercises). Note: The approver is required to open an order 

before it can be rejected. 

2. Go to the Available actions drop down at the top of the Requisition and select Reject Requisition and select the 

Go button to reject the entire requisition. 


3. Enter a rejection reason in the comment pop-up box. 

4. Select the Reject Requisition button to save the comment and reject the requisition. The rejection is not finalized 

until the workflow step is complete. 

Step by Step 

The goal of the exercise is to demonstrate rejecting lines on a requisition. 

1. Open the requisition or order (refer to previous exercises). Note: The approver is required to open an order 

before it can be rejected. 

2. Select one or more line items to reject by clicking the checkbox to the right of the price. Alternately, click the 

checkbox in the column header row for EACH supplier to select all of the lines for a supplier. 

3. Enter the reason in the comment pop-up box. 

4. 

5. Select the Reject Line Item button to save the comment and reject the line item(s). The rejection is not finalized 

until the workflow step is complete. 

A P P R O V I N G A N D R E J E C T I N G A P R O R P O F R O M A N E M A I L 

Some organizations allow its users to receive email notifications where an order can be processed directly from the 

email. For more information, refer to Approval Notifications via Email on page 33, Email Approvals: How it Works on 

page 37, Information Included in Emails with Order Dataon page 37, or Email Approvals: Setup and Configuration on 

page 38. 

Step by Step 

The goal of the exercise is review and take action directly from an email received for a PR or PO requiring attention. 

This exercise assumes that the organization and user have been properly set up/configured to receive this type of 

notification. 

1. Open the email and review the details regarding the PR or PO.. 

2. Click the Take Action link to perform any of the following tasks: 

a. For a requisition: approve, reject, assign to myself, and return to requisitioner (if available to your 

organization). 

b. For a purchase order: approve, reject, or assign to myself. 

3. From the wnidow that displays, enter a comment (optionally). 

4. Enter the email approval code if this is required. 

5. Click Submit. A confirmation page displays. The action that was performed in logged into the history for the PR 

or PO, as well as comments. 

NOTE: If action has already been taken by another approver in a shared folder, the approver will receive a 

message that action has already been taken on the document 

F O R W A R D I N G A W O R K F L O W D O C U M E N T 

Occasionally, an approver may decide that a different individual is a more appropriate approver for a particular 

request. Forward is a function provided in the workflow process where a document can be sent to a different 

approver for review. This exercise describes how an approver can forward a PR or PO document in workflow to 


another approver. NOTE: The substitute function is recommended if you will be on vacation or do not want to handle 

orders for a specified time period normally assigned to you. 

Step by Step 

The goal of the exercise is to demonstrate forwarding a PR and PO to another SelectSite user. 

1. Access the Approvals section of the application (via the home page, an email, or the approvals navigation tab). 

2. OPTION 1: If you know you want to forward a requisition or order that has not been reviewed (opened): 

a. Enable the Select checkbox on the far right side of the folder where the document resides. 

b. Select the Forward… option from the drop-down box and click the Go button. Skip to the next step. 

OPTION 2: If you realize you would like to forward a requisition or order once it has been opened (accessed): 

c. Select the Forward… option from the Available Options drop-down box and click the Go button. Skip to the 

next step. 

3. Enter specific user criteria to find the recipient of the forwarded requisition. 

4. Click the Search button. 

5. Select the appropriate user using the radio button to the left of the user’s name. 

6. Click the Choose Selected User button to continue. 

7. Enter a note for the user that describes the reason to forward the requisition. 

8. Click the Forward button. 

A S S I G N I N G A S U B S T I T U T E A P P R O V E R 

In the event that an approver is absent or unavailable, the user can designate another approver as a substitute. The 

substitute is able to review documents routed to the original approver. Substitutes can be assigned to a single 

approval folder or for all approval folders the user is responsible for reviewing. Substitutions can be stopped (ended) 

once the approver is ready to begin processing orders. This exercise describes how to set up a substitution in 

workflow. 

Step by Step 

The goal of the exercise is to assign a substitute approver for an approver’s purchase requisitions and/or orders. 

Keep in mind, you can choose to use a substitute approver for documents in all folders (shared folders, My 

Approvals, etc) or a select a specific folder. 

1. Access the Approvals section of the application (via the home page, an email, or the approvals navigation tab). 

2. Navigate to the appropriate sub-tab (requisition, purchase order, invoice, or sales order fulfillment). 

3. To assign a substitute for all of your workflow folders, click the Assign substitute to all folders button. To 

assign a substitute for a specific folder, click the Assign substitute to this folder button directly above the 

folder. 


4. From the User Search pop-up window, enter the criteria to locate the approver, then click Search. 

5. Only those users who are allowed to approve documents are displayed in the user search results. Locate the 

appropriate user and click select from the Action column. 

6. The selected substitute will be indicated on the approvals screens, as shown below. 

7. To stop a substitution that is applied to all of your workflow folders, click the End substitute for all folders 

button. To stop a substitution for a specific folder, click the End Substitution for this folder button directly 

above the folder. 

E X P E D I T I N G A N O R D E R 

Expediting allows an approver to skip one or more steps in the purchase requisition or purchase order workflow. 

Expediting is typically done for testing purposes or occasionally to purposefully skip steps. Use caution when 

expediting orders. Whenever an order is expedited, the process is tracked in order history. 

There are four permissions associated with expediting, each explained below. 

• Expedite requisitions – This permission allows an approver to skip steps up to the last step they are allowed to 

approve in PR workflow, but not beyond. 

• Expedite requisition through all workflow steps – This permission allows an approver to skip any and all 

steps, including system steps such as creating the purchase order. 

• Expedite purchase orders - This permission allows an approver to skip steps up to the last step they are 

allowed to approve in PO workflow, but not beyond. 

• Expedite purchase orders through all workflow steps - This permission allows an approver to skip any and 

all steps, including system steps such as distributing a purchase order. 

Step by Step 

The goal of the exercise is to describe how an order can be expedited. 

1. Access the purchase requisition or order via PR or PO History. 

2. Open the order and go to the Approvals tab. 

3. Click the Expedite button on the appropriate step. Keep in mind, the PREVIOUS step/steps will be expedited, 

but not the one selected. 

4. From the pop-up window, document the reason for expediting the order. This note displays in the History for the 

PR/PO, then click Expedite. 

To move to the next step, select Approve/Complete from the drop-down in the upper right-hand corner, then click 

Go. The order is expedited. 

A D D I N G A C O M M E N T T O A P R , P O , O R I N V O I C E 

Comments can be added to purchase requisitions, purchase orders, and invoices that have been saved/created in 

the system. Comments provide a way for approvers to communicate any questions they have to the requisitioner, 

allows requisitioners to add additional documentation needed, and more. 

• NEW: The sender address for the email is based on the organization setting. Organizations should update 

this address in Organization Set up System email Comment added to PR/PO/Invoice. 

Step by Step 

The goal of the exercise is to add a comment to a workflow document. 


1. Open the workflow document. Users can add comments to documents that they created (as the requisitioner), 

that they have permission to view (based on departmental or org-wide viewing privileges), or orders that require 

the user’s approval. 

2. Click the Comments sub-tab, as shown below. Click the Add Comment button. 

3. The Add Comment overlay window displays. From this window, you can determine who will be notified via email 

of the comment, enter a note, and attach one or more supporting documents: 

a. Enable the checkboxes for the users that you would like notified of the comment via email. For example, if 

you are an approver, you would probably like to notify the requisitioner of the question at hand. If you are a 

requisitioner responding to a question, you may want to email the approver and your boss. Click the add 

email recipient... link to find other SelectSite users to email. 

b. Enter the note / comment in the text box. Max characters is 1000. 

c. If you would like to attach a file or a link for a URL, choose the file type, enter the file name (for reference 

purposes later), and click Browse to select the file. 

d. Click the Add Comment button to save the comment. The appropriate parties will be emailed. 

e. Once the comment has been added, the number of comments for the PR will display in parenthesis on the 

comments tab. See example below. 

f. An attachments tab is now available on the PR. If an attachment was added via a comment, the attachment 

will reference the comment and will also display the number of comments on the tab. 

4. After the comment is submitted, a history can be found in the Comments and History sub-tab. Users can reply 

directly to a comment by clicking the reply to button, as shown below. 

R E T U R N I N G A R E Q U I S I T I O N T O T H E R E Q U I S I T I O N E R 

• Occasionally, an approver may want to return a requisition to the original shopper or requester for updates 

to custom fields or line details. This task allows approvers to return instead of rejecting a purchase 

requisition. When a requisition is returned it becomes a draft cart and is no longer visible as a requisition (via 

history, etc). The returned requisition can be updated by the requisitioner and resubmitted into workflow and 

all previous approval information and comments will be available via History. The returned requisition will 

restart workflow from the beginning regardless of the step it was returned from. 

• Note: The return requisition functionality is only available if the following setting is enabled: workflow setup 

general Allow Return Requisition. By default, this setting is turned off. Please speak with SciQuest 

Customer Support or your implementation team to discuss if this is a good option for your organization. A 

primary considering is when in the process you are encumbering funds (if applicable). 

• Additional details: 

o 

o 

o 

Approvers that have the ability to Reject Requisitions will now be able to Return Requisitions. 

Requisitions can be returned at any point in the requisition approval process. 

When a requisition is returned it becomes a draft cart and is no longer visible as a requisition. Changes 

made to the requisition while in a draft cart will be recorded in history. 


o 

o 

o 

End users will have access to view returned requisitions from their homepage and in a new section in 

the Draft Carts tab called “my returned requisitions”. End users will not be able to delete returned 

requisitions; however they can choose to withdraw them. 

Approvers will see a new indication of resubmitted requisitions in their approval queue. 

Users which have enabled the “PR Rejected” notification will also be notified of Returned documents via 

email notification. 

Step by Step 

The goal of the exercise is to return a requisition to the original requester. This task can be performed by approvers 

for a purchase requisition. NOTE: PO and Invoice documents cannot be returned. 

1. Access the purchase requisition, and assign it to yourself (for review). 

2. From the Available Actions drop-down box in the upper right-hand corner, select Return to Requisitioner, 

then click the Go button. 

3. The following overlay window displays. From here, enter the reason for the return. This note will be available via 

the Comments and History tab and will be sent in the email to the requisitioner. 

4. The requisitioner can then access the requisition from the carts tab draft carts sub-tab. Returned requisitions 

are listed in the My Returned Requisitions table, as shown below. From there, they can be opened, updated, 

and resubmitted. 


V I E W A P P R O V E R S F O R W O R K F L O W D O C U M E N T S 

When working with pending carts, purchase requisitions, purchase orders, and invoices, users have the opportunity 

to see who is responsible for the approval of all manual approval steps. Additionally, user’s email addresses are 

provided if the user is interested in corresponding to the approver. 

A list of potential approvers (one or more) is provided when working in the cart and after the cart is submitted – as 

long as the workflow document (PR/PO/Invoice) is not completed (i.e. – pending). Only active users are displayed in 

this list. 

Step by Step 

The goal of the exercise is to view the approvers for a workflow step for a pending cart, PR, PO, or invoice. 

1. Open the document. In this example, an unsubmitted cart is being reviewed. 

2. Click on the PR Approvals tab. In addition to each of the possible steps being listed, the view approvers link is 

available for the first step. 

3. Click the view approvers link. An overlay window similar to the one below displays. This provides a list of 

approvers for the workflow step. 

4. To email an approver, click on the appropriate email address. Click Close to exit the window. 


Lesson 4: USING HISTORY TO REVIEW 

APPROV ALS 

This lesson consists of various exercises related to approver functions, primarily viewing the requisition or order 

history for a single department or the entire organization. 

Key Concepts 

H I S T O R Y S E A R C H I N G 

The PR History, PO History, and Sales Order History tabs are used to review orders in the system. The orders that a 

user can view and export is dependent on his or her permissions and access. Standard users will typically only be 

able to review their orders. Approvers can oftentimes review the orders for their department. Buyers and 

administrators can view system-wide orders. 

The history searches are used to not only tell about “past” orders, but to access purchase requisitions and purchase 

orders in process to find out where they are in the workflow process. If an approver has the correct privileges, they 

can review an order after opening it via the History Search. 

W O R K F L O W A P P R O V E R O U T B O X 

In addition to general searches for purchase requisitions, purchase orders, and sales orders, SelectSite allows you to 

view the orders that you specifically reviewed. 

From the approvals tab, there are two options: Requisition outbox and Purchase order outbox that allow you to 

view the orders that the current user was responsible for reviewing (approving/rejecting line items). You can view 

orders by month, day, or select the date range. 

This feature allows approvers to quickly have a snapshot of what orders they have processed. Below is an example 

of an outbox for an approver. 


Exercises 

R E V I E W I N G O R D E R H I S T O R Y B Y D E P A R T M E N T 

Departmental approvers typically are granted access to viewing the details of orders in their department or 

departments. This function allows an approver to not only see the history of the orders they placed but all others in 

the departments assigned to them. Departmental viewing privileges are set up in the approver’s profile. 

Step by Step 

The goal of this exercise is to search for department orders/requisitions using the History search interface. 

1. Access PO or PR History tab one of two ways: 

a. Select the History navigation tab, then the appropriate sub-tab: PO History or PR History… OR… 

b. Reference the Review section on the left-hand side of the Desktop, then click the Order History link to 

access the PO History screen. 

2. From the PO History or PR History tab, select the appropriate sub-tab. This selection determines the criteria that 

can be entered to locate the requisition or order. An example of sub-tabs for PO History is shown below 

Depending on permissions; users may or may not see all of the tabs shown in the following example. 

3. Click the Filter checkbox to activate the filter options at the bottom of the search page. 

4. Click the radio button next to Company Orders. 

5. Enter a specific date range, if appropriate. 

6. Select the specific department(s) to view. To do so, select a department from the left-hand list and click the 

arrowhead that points to the right to move it into the filtered list on the right. 

7. Filter your search further based on status by performing the same function in the PO Status Filters section, if 

desired. 

8. Click the Search button once you have the desired filters set. 

9. View your search results, which are returned so that each row displays an individual PO with summary level 

information. 

10. Reference the legend on the left and the help link in the upper right corner of the table for more information 

on contents of the search results screen 


R E V I E W I N G O R G A N I Z A T I O N – W I D E O R D E R H I S T O R Y 

Approvers and Administrators frequently need to review purchase history for the entire organization. Note: Users 

must have full permissions to perform this task. 

Step by Step 

The goal of the exercise is to search for organization-wide orders using the PO History search interface. 








3. Click the Filter checkbox to activate the filter options at the bottom of the search page. 

4. Click the radio button next to Company Orders. 





desired. 



information. 


on contents of the search results screen. 

R E V I E W I N G O R D E R H I S T O R Y F O R A N O T H E R U S E R 

Some approvers are allowed to view the approval history for another approver or by their own approvals (orders they 

have reviewed). This is a permission that is granted to certain users, typically administrators and buyers, and if 

granted, they will see an additional option for order type. 

Step by Step 

The goal of this exercise is to search for orders reviewed by a specific approver. 









3. Click the Filter checkbox to activate the 

filter options at the bottom of the search page. 

4. Click the radio button next to My Approved Orders. 

5. Click the Select User button to select the approver that you would like to view orders for. 





desired. 



information. 


on contents of the search results screen 

U S I N G R E Q U I S I T I O N A N D P U R C H A S E O R D E R O U T B O X 

The Requisition and Purchase Order Outbox can be used to view the orders that the current user has approved or 

rejected previously. 

This feature allows approvers to quickly have a snapshot of what requisitions and/or orders they have processed. 

Step by Step 

The goal of the exercise is to search for requisitions or orders that you have processed. 

1. Select the approvals navigation tab. 

2. Select the Requisition outbox tab to review requisitions you have processed or Purchase order outbox to 

review purchase orders you have processed. NOTE: Typically, a user is only responsible for approving either 

reqs or POs, but not both. 

3. Select the date range for the requisitions/orders that you would like to view in the Filters area of the screen. By 

default the orders processed for the current month display. You can also select orders from today, yesterday, 

last month, or a user-defined date range. 

4. Click Search to display the requisitions or orders. NOTE: You cannot make changes to the orders unless you 

have been granted that privilege. 

TIP: 

You can perform more advanced searching for requisitions or purchase orders 

that you have reviewed by using PR or PO History, entering your criteria, and 

selecting the My Reviewed Orders radio button, then clicking Search.

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